Psoriasis: preventing quality of life impairment

Early intervention may decrease the potential accumulating cumulative life course impairment (CLCI) during the life course. Earlier intervention will result in a lower impact of accumulating CLCI.

The Maxer Medical Writing team, with the contribution of Elisa Sala, provided editorial support for the drafting of Early Intervention and Cumulative Life Course Impairment in Psoriasis: a review, an article signed by Luisa Maria Halina Arancio, Domenico D’Amico, Stefano Dastoli, Carmen Silvia Fiorella, Marco Manfredini, Gaia Moretta, Giovanni Paolino, Anna Levi, Sara Di Fino, Barbara Zucchi, and Stefano Piaserico.

The article, written in coordination with AbbVie and in collaboration with Aristea, was recently published in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology and deals with the authors’ clinical experience in the diagnosis and management of Cumulative Life Course Impairment (CLCI) in patients with psoriasis.

According to the conclusions of the publication: “Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease affecting the skin, joints and other organs. Psoriasis negatively affects patients’ quality of life, causing social anxiety and negative coping, thus determining a cumulative life course impairment (CLCI). The concept of CLCI in psoriasis is reinforced by the understanding that psoriasis-associated comorbidities and stigma accumulate over a patient’s life course, resulting from an interaction between the burden of stigmatization, physical and psychological comorbidities, coping strategies and external factors. The concept may help identify more vulnerable patients and facilitate more appropriate treatment decisions or earlier referrals. Although some potential risk factors for CLCI have been clarified, no all-encompassing screening tools are available. Patients at risk for CLCI should be identified by applying clinical, personal and psychosocial indicators and predictors individually.

Early intervention in psoriasis treatment could improve long-term patient outcomes and modify the disease course. However, more research is needed to clearly define what constitutes ‘early’ intervention and to identify the most effective strategies for implementation. From a preventive point of view, it is helpful to identify early interventions aimed at reducing the risk of CLCI and establishing a new life course trajectory in patients with psoriasis. This review summarizes the latest developments in CLCI and psoriasis, highlighting knowledge gaps and future directions to make control of CLCI a possible goal for therapies.“