A Delphi Consensus Approach to Challenging Case Scenarios in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis: Part 2.

Overview

INTRODUCTION: Clinicians may be confronted with difficult-to-treat psoriasis cases for which there are scant data to rely upon for guidance. To assist in managing such patients, who are typically excluded from clinical trials, a consensus panel of 14 experts in the field of psoriasis was formed to conduct a Delphi method exercise. METHODS: The exercise consisted of both survey questionnaires and a live meeting to review and discuss current data (as of 2009, when the exercise was conducted) and arrive at a consensus for optimal treatment options. Seventy difficult treatment scenarios were identified, and the top 24 were selected for discussion at the live meeting. RESULTS: Five of the 24 discussed case scenarios are presented in this article: (1) moderate-to-severe psoriasis that has failed to respond to all currently approved therapies for psoriasis; (2) palmoplantar psoriasis that is unresponsive to topical therapy and phototherapy; (3) erythrodermic psoriasis; (4) pustular psoriasis; and (5) the preferred therapeutic choice to combine with low-dose methotrexate. A previous article (part 1) presented six other scenarios. CONCLUSION: The Delphi exercise resulted in guidelines for practicing physicians to utilize when confronted with patients with challenging cases of psoriasis.