Decision Points for Systemic Treatment of Psoriasis
Title: Decision points for the initiation of
systemic treatment for psoriasis.
Authors: Feldman SR, et al.
Publication: J Am Acad Dermatol. 2005 Jul;53(1):101-7.
Phototherapy or ultraviolet light therapy, as well as systemic
treatments (using drugs that affect the whole body) can be very
effective for patients with severe and physically and emotionally
debilitating cases of psoriasis. However, they also have potentially
significant adverse side effects.
The decision to use systemic treatment is a complex one that
requires both experience and judgment, especially with advents
of new treatments such as biologics (medicines derived from living
organisms or cell cultures).
The authors presented a new diagnostic algorithm called the Koo-Menter
Psoriasis Instrument or KPMI to help identify patients that would
benefit from systemic treatment of psoriasis. Moreover, KPMI can
also be used to document and justify treatment decisions for health
care payers.