Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis: Addressing Therapeutic Paradigms by Learning from Each Other

Abstract

Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD) are both T-cell driven, chronic inflammatory skin disorders. This symposium aimed to discuss the distinct and overlapping clinical characteristics of these diseases and described how improved understanding of the immunopathological pathways involved has impacted treatment paradigms. With insight from his clinical experience, Prof Lebwohl described the key clinical and histologic features of psoriasis and AD. He also gave an overview of the evolution of systemic treatments for these diseases, which reflects growing knowledge of the T-cell driven pathologies, notably the dominance of the Th17/IL-17 pathway in psoriasis and Th2/IL-13 pathway in AD. Prof Warren provided insight into the central role of the IL-23/IL-17 axis in the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis and overviewed the registrational clinical data for approved agents targeting IL-17 and its receptor. He also discussed the importance of complete skin clearance in improving patient quality of life (QoL) and provided an update on the scope of personalised medicine in psoriasis. Prof Weidinger provided insight into the immunological pathways involved in the pathogenesis of AD and its distinct molecular profile from psoriasis, explaining the scientific rationale for, and emerging clinical data supporting, the key role of IL-13 pathways in AD.