A Clinical Pearl on Plaque Psoriasis

Linda Stein Gold, MD: I think our psoriasis treatment landscape is in a really fantastic place. We are able to get our patients under control better than ever before. I think it's really important to make sure we educate ourselves on all the treatments that are available and make sure we understand each one of the drugs, how it's administered, what we can expect. And then on the other side, make sure we ask our patients, “How does psoriasis impact your life?” Don't be afraid to be aggressive even at the start and reach for systemic therapies even if patients have more localized disease, especially if the disease is in special areas. Patients often don't even remember what life was like without their psoriasis. So set them up with an agent that they can be successful with. Make sure it meets their needs and their desires. Always ask about joint pain and swelling. And remember that psoriatic arthritis is more common in those patients with nail and scalp psoriasis. So bottom line, really get a full understanding of how psoriasis impacts our patients and make sure that you're aggressive in trying to get that patient under control.

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