Case report: Successful treatment of acute generalized pustular psoriasis with multiple comorbidities with oral tacrolimus

Acute generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a serious illness. Despite various treatment methods, there is still lack of effective treatment plans for refractory cases with multiple comorbidities. This case report presents a 67-year-old woman with acute GPP, stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD), type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, in whom skin symptom disappearance and kidney function improvement were observed after the use of oral tacrolimus as the sole therapy. This is the first report on the application of tacrolimus in the treatment of acute GPP, especially refractory acute GPP. The successful treatment indicates that there are shared immune pathways between acute GPP and CKD, and the pathways can be interdicted by tacrolimus. Further studies are needed to optimize the therapy to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity.

Targeting IL-17A for the treatment of pustular psoriasis: a comprehensive review

INTRODUCTION

Pustular psoriasis (PP) is a rare subtype of psoriasis. Overall, the growing evidence - in particular for acute generalized PP (GPP) - supports that it is a separate entity with a specific pathogenetic pathway. Interleukin (IL)-17/T-helper 17 (Th17) axis involvement may play an important role in the pathophysiology of PP. Biologicals, often required to achieve clinical remission, have changed the treatment of PP.

AREAS COVERED

We provide the reader with an overview of all the available evidence on the use of the antibody-based therapy targeting IL-17A in patients with PP.

EXPERT OPINION

Although papers reported in this review do not provide definitive evidence (due to methodological limitations) to support the use of IL-17 inhibitors as potential first-line for the treatment of PP, based on our own experience and according to most of the reported literature, targeting IL-17A, may represent the best therapeutical approach in this peculiar clinical spectrum of psoriasis.

Acute Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Developed Resistance to Adalimumab Was Successfully Treated with Narrowband Ultraviolet B and Acitretin: A Case Report

Acute generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a severe but rare variant of psoriasis, characterized by an acute eruption of extensive erythema with numerous non-follicular pustules. In rare cases, local pustular psoriasis like acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau (ACH) may progress into acute GPP if improperly treated. ACH and GPP are rare in the clinic and their treatment is more complex and often treatment-resistant compared to psoriasis vulgaris (PV). A variety of anti-psoriasis biologics emerging in recent years have been reported for the treatment of ACH and acute GPP. Biologics is considered to be an upgraded treatment option for traditional anti-psoriasis agents. But there are few reports of GPP patients developing resistance to biologics, or what if biologics fails. Herein, we report a case of acute GPP that developed from ACH, initially responded extremely well to adalimumab, but the treatment failed when the patient treated with the drug again, which is thought to have developed resistance to adalimumab, finally successfully treated with narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) and acitretin.