Infliximab monotherapy in psoriasis: a case of rapid clinical and histological response.

Abstract

Psoriasis is a common chronic relapsing, inflammatory, hyperproliferative skin disorder with genetic predisposition. There is currently no experimental model for psoriasis and the pathogenesis is not fully understood. Psoriatic plaques have been shown to contain increased levels of cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy with infliximab has been shown to be highly effective in recalcitrant psoriasis. We evaluated the efficacy and timeline of histological changes in a psoriatic plaque following infliximab infusion. A patient with severe recalcitrant plaque psoriasis was clinically and histologically assessed for improvement. We found rapid clinical improvement with infliximab accompanied by histopathological changes. The earliest effects were seen on neutrophils and lymphocytes whereas keratinocyte normalization was not evident at the early stages. Infliximab is not only an effective agent in the treatment of psoriasis but appears to have a very rapid onset of action.