Supplementary Material for: Detection of Small Changes in Psoriasis Intensity with PrecisePASI

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) is the score of choice to grade psoriasis severity and detect clinical changes. Due to low resolution based on the calculation of the score by fixed area classes, PASI scores <10 have little value. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> At 756 patient examinations, psoriasis activity was measured with both PASI and PrecisePASI. <b><i>Results:</i></b> PrecisePASI has a linear increase while PASI has a staircase pattern. Both scores meet at the endpoint-relevant values of body surface area (BSA) 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90%. PASI and PrecisePASI correlate significantly over the whole range of BSA. In the region of BSA <5%, PrecisePASI shows a significantly higher resolution (p < 0.0001). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The calculation of PrecisePASI corrects the undesired inaccuracies of PASI in the lower BSA ranges and is a tool to use as an endpoint in trials aiming to detect differences in the lower ranges of BSA

Topical treatment habits in psoriasis patients receiving adalimumab

BACKGROUND: Biologics are used increasingly to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Here the topical treatment habits (corticosteroids and vitamin D derivates) and moisturizer use of 97 Swiss patients (male 65, female 32) receiving adalimumab have been evaluated. METHODS: Using a short cross-sectional survey the pharmacist asked patients during telephone contact about their topical treatment habits and psoriasis activity. RESULTS: 47 patients with adalimumab monotherapy were still free of psoriatic lesions after a longer follow-up of 13 months of therapy; 8 of them still used topical treatment. In contrast, 38 of 50 patients with remaining lesions used topicals. More than 75% of patients indicated that the perceived efficacy of additional topical therapy was ≥5 on a visual analog scale (0-10). The use of moisturizers did not correlate with disease activity. CONCLUSION: Topical treatment use by adalimumab patients is associated with remaining disease activity. 83% of patients without residual plaques (40% of all adalimumab patients) are able to stop topical treatment completely

Supplementary Material for: Swiss S1 Guidelines on the Systemic Treatment of Psoriasis Vulgaris

Psoriasis vulgaris is a common, chronic inflammatory skin disease with a prevalence of 1.5-2% in Western industrialized countries. A relevant percentage of patients suffer from moderate-to-severe psoriasis and experience a significant reduction in quality of life. The choice of an adequate therapy could help to prevent disease and exacerbation of comorbidity, which could increase quality of life, avoid hospitalization and avoid reduction of working days. The present guidelines are focused on the initiation and management of systemic therapies in cases of moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis in adults to optimize treatment response, adherence and quality of life. This first version of the Swiss S1 guidelines presents therapeutic recommendations which are based on a systematic literature search as well as an informal expert consensus of dermatologists in Switzerland

Supplementary Material for: Clinical Disease Patterns in a Regional Swiss Cohort of 34 Pyoderma Gangrenosum Patients

<i>Background/Aim:</i> Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, neutrophilic dermatosis often associated with an underlying disease, and clinical data or larger studies are rare. <i>Methods:</i> In this retrospective study, disease characteristics, clinical manifestations, and treatment response were evaluated in a Swiss cohort of PG patients. <i>Results:</i> In participating centers, 34 cases (21 females) of PG were analyzed based on clinical and histological presentation between 2002 and 2012. The mean age at diagnosis was 61.2 years; 50% of the patients experienced only 1 episode of PG. In 13 cases (out of 20), recurrences occurred during PG therapy; 64.1% showed only 1 lesion simultaneously. The predominant localization was the lower limb (67%). The lesions were disseminated in 26.6%. At the time of diagnosis or recurrence, the mean diameter was 37.6 mm and the mean ulcer size was 10.3 cm2. C-reactive protein (CRP) was elevated in 73.2%; leukocytosis was present in 58.9% and neutrophilia in 50.9%. At least 1 associated comorbidity was present in 85% (the most prominent being cardiovascular disease). The most often used systemic treatments were steroids (68.3%), cyclosporine A (31.7%), dapsone (31.7%), and infliximab (13.3%), and the most often used topicals were tacrolimus 0.1% (48.3%) and corticosteroids (35%). PG healed completely at discharge in 50.8%. The average time to diagnosis was 8 months, and the mean duration to healing was 7.1 months. <i>Conclusion:</i> PG is a difficult-to-diagnose skin disease. Here, markers for inflammation such as CRP, leukocytosis, and neutrophilia were elevated in 50-73% of the PG patients

Supplementary Material for: Superiority in Quality of Life Improvement of Biologics over Conventional Systemic Drugs in a Swiss Real-Life Psoriasis Registry

<p><b><i>Background:</i></b> Randomized controlled trials have shown the efficacy of systemic treatments in moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Clinical outcomes in psoriasis patients under real-world conditions are less well understood. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> This study compared Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Dermatological Life Quality Index (DLQI) improvement in all psoriasis patients registered in the Swiss Dermatology Network for Targeted Therapies. We asked whether outcomes differed between 4 treatment strategies, namely biologic monotherapy versus conventional systemic monotherapy, versus combined biologic and conventional systemic drugs, and versus therapy adaptation (switching from one type to another). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> PASI and DLQI within 1 year after onset of systemic treatment, measured at 3, 6, and 12 months, were compared among the 4 groups using generalized linear mixed-effects models. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Between March 2011 and December 2014, 334 patients were included; 151 received conventional systemic therapeutics, 145 biologics, 13 combined treatment, and 25 had a therapy adaptation. With regard to the absolute PASI, neither the biologic cohort nor the combined treatment cohort significantly differed from the conventional systemic therapeutics cohort. The odds of reaching PASI90 was significantly increased with combined therapy compared to conventional systemic therapeutics (<i>p</i> = 0.043) and decreased with a higher body mass index (<i>p</i> = 0.041). At visits 3 and 4, the PASI was generally lower than at visit 2 (visit 3 vs. visit 2, <i>p</i> = 0.0019; visit 4 vs. visit 2, <i>p</i> < 0.001). After 12 months, patients with biologic treatment had a significantly lower DLQI than those with conventional systemic therapeutics (<i>p</i> = 0.001). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> This study suggests that after 1 year of treatment, biologics are superior in improving the subjective disease burden compared to conventional systemic drugs.</p

Supplementary Material for: Efficacy and Survival of Systemic Psoriasis Treatments: An Analysis of the Swiss Registry SDNTT

<p><b><i>Background:</i></b> The Swiss psoriasis registry SDNTT (Swiss Dermatology Network for Targeted Therapies) records the long-term safety and effectiveness of systemic treatment regimens for psoriasis. <b><i>Patients and Methods:</i></b> Patients with moderate to severe psoriasis are included in the SDNTT when treatment with a conventional systemic agent or biologic is initiated that was not previously used by the respective patient. Patients are followed over a 5-year period. Clinical data are obtained every 3-6 months using standardized case report forms. Here, baseline data and follow-up data for 1 year of patients included from October 2011 until December 2014 were analyzed. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Within 39 months, 323 patients from 7 tertiary dermatology centers in Switzerland were recruited in the SDNTT; 165 patients received biologics and 158 conventional systemic therapies<i>.</i> Patients treated with biologics had a significantly higher severity (PASI 11.3 vs. 9.2, BSA 15.6 vs.11.9, psoriatic arthritis 36.4 vs. 10.8%; <i>p</i> ≤ 0.005, <i>p</i> ≤ 0.013, <i>p</i> ≤ 0.001) and a longer duration of illness (19.2 vs. 14.4 years, <i>p</i> ≤ 0.003) compared to patients starting a conventional systemic treatment. PASI reduction was satisfying in both treatment groups, with 60.6% of patients treated with biologics achieving PASI75 after 1 year compared to 54.2% of patients receiving conventional systemic drugs (nonsignificant). On average, the drug survival in patients receiving a biologic therapy was significantly longer than those receiving conventional systemic treatments (30.5 vs. 19.2 months, <i>p</i> ≤ 0.001). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> In the real-world setting of a prospective national therapy registry, the application of current therapeutic guidelines for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis resulted in a PASI reduction of approximately 70% within the first year of treatment, but current therapeutic targets of PASI75 and PASI90 were reached in only 58 and 36% of patients, respectively, at 1 year, highlighting a gap in efficacy between selective clinical trials and the real-world setting.</p