Successful treatment of generalized pustular psoriasis with guselkumab

Abstract

The purpose of the article: Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a rare auto-inflammatory disease. Patients with GPP may develop life-threatening complications, including sepsis, acute renal failure, neutrophilic cholangitis, high-output congestive heart failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome and death. The therapy of GPP is very limited and the course of the disease is unpredictable.Materials and methods: We report a 60-year-old woman presenting with widespread and confluent erythematous-desquamative plaques with numerous small pustules covering almost 70% of the body surface area. Over the past years patient had undergone different types of conservative treatment regimens including topical therapy, acitretin, cyclosporin, methotrexate and long-term treatment with systemic corticosteroids. Considering the patient’s overall clinical condition, we proceed to initiate the biologic therapy with guselkumab.Results: Guselkumab (anti-IL-23) in the standard dose of 100 mg was administered subcutaneously at weeks 0, 4 and followed by a maintenance dose every 8 weeks. The remission of GPP was observed already after 12 weeks of treatment. The maintenance treatment in the period of 18 months shows stable clinical response.Conclusions: Our results support the evidence that guselkumab could provide an effective therapeutic approach in the treatment of GPP.