The efficiency of the combination of topical and biological therapy in the treatment of nails psoriasis: a prospective study

Abstract

Introduction. The severity of the psoriatic process is associated with the involvement of the scalp, genitals, fold zones and nails in the process. The selection of effective therapy for psoriasis of difficult localizations is an urgent task of modern dermatology.Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment of moderate psoriasis and nail psoriasis with an IL-17A inhibitor in combination with a combined betamethasone dipropionate + salicylic acid ointment.Material and methods. A 12-week prospective study included data from 60 patients who were under observation at the Moscow Scientific and Practical Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology in 2020-2021. Group 1 included 30 patients who received only the biological drug IL-17 inhibitor. Group 2 included 30 patients who received an IL-17 inhibitor in combination with topical therapy with an ointment of 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate and 3% salicylic acid (Rederm). The ointment was applied twice a day in two courses of 3 weeks with a break of 6 weeks between courses. When comparing indicators between groups, Student’s t-test was used for normal samples and the Mann- Whitney test for non- Gaussian samples.Results. When comparing PASI and NAPSI in patients of group 2 who received an IL-17 inhibitor in combination with external therapy with an ointment of 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate and 3% salicylic acid 2 times a day for two courses of 3 weeks with a break of 6 weeks between courses, the index values statistically significantly decreased after 12 weeks of therapy (p = 0.003) compared to group 1 (p = 0.015).Conclusions. The study showed that patients who received an IL-17 inhibitor in combination with a combined betamethasone dipropionate + salicycylic acid ointment achieved a significantly greater effect compared to patients who received only biologics. In addition, the combination with Rederm ointment has shown greater efficacy in the treatment of psoriatic onychodystrophy, which is difficult to treat even with biologics.