Abstract
Psoriasis is a major global health problem. There is a need to develop techniques to help physicians select the most appropriate cost-effective therapy for each patient. The main objectives of this study are (1) to evaluate changes in epidermal barrier function and skin homeostasis after phototherapy and (2) to explore potentially predictive values in epidermal barrier function and skin homeostasis to assess clinical improvement after fifteen sessions of phototherapy. A total of 76 subjects, 38 patients with plaque-type psoriasis and 38 gender- and age-matched healthy volunteers, were included in the study. Erythema, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), temperature, stratum corneum hydration (SCH), pH, sebum, and antioxidant capacity were measured before and after the first and fifteenth phototherapy session. Erythema (401.09 vs. 291.12 vs. 284.52 AU, p < 0.001) and TEWL (18.23 vs. 11.44 vs. 11.41 g·m−2·h−1, p < 0.001) were significantly higher at psoriatic plaques than in uninvolved psoriatic skin and healthy volunteers, respectively, while SCH was lower (9.71 vs. 44.64 vs. 40.00 AU, p < 0.001). After fifteen phototherapy sessions, TEWL (–5.19 g·m−2·h−1, p = 0.016) decreased while SCH (+7.01 AU, p = 0.013) and erythema (+30.82 AU, p = 0.083) increased at psoriatic plaques. An erythema increase exceeding 53.23 AU after the first phototherapy session, with a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 84.2%, indicates that a patient may improve Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) by ≥3 points after fifteen phototherapy sessions. In conclusion, phototherapy improves epidermal barrier function in psoriatic patients and the erythema increase after one phototherapy session could help doctors select psoriasis patients who are more likely to respond to phototherapy.
Highlights
Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent, multisystemic inflammatory disease [1] caused by a combination of immunological imbalances, genetic associations, and environmental factors [2]
Lower transepidermal water loss (TEWL) values were found in healthy skin compared with uninvolved psoriatic skin and psoriatic plaques (11.41 vs. 11.44 vs. 18.23 g·m−2·h−1, p < 0.001)
Higher stratum corneum hydration (SCH) values were observed in healthy skin compared with uninvolved psoriatic skin and psoriatic plaques (40.00 vs. 44.64 vs. 9.71 AU, p < 0.001)
Summary
Recurrent, multisystemic inflammatory disease [1] caused by a combination of immunological imbalances, genetic associations, and environmental factors [2]. The skin manifestations are often the only recognized symptoms of psoriasis [5], this disease is associated with multiple comorbidities [6,7,8,9] and impacts the patient’s quality of life [5,10]. The economic burden of psoriasis is high, as in Europe the annual total cost per patient is EUR 6000–12,000 [11]. Multiple treatments are effective for psoriasis, including topical medicines, oral systemic prescriptions, phototherapy, and biologics [12]. It is not known which type of patient would respond best to each treatment [13]. There is a need to develop techniques to help physicians select the most appropriate cost-effective therapy for each patient [15]
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