Geriatric Psoriasis: Evaluation of Clinical Features, Disease Course, and Treatment Modalities of Patients from a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Abstract

Introduction: Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by erythematous, scaly, pruritic plaques on the extensor areas of the extremities. It is one of the most common dermatological diseases in the geriatric population.

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the demographic data, clinical characteristics, and treatment responses of the geriatric population (≥65 years) with psoriasis at our hospital.

Methods: In this study, we examined 160 geriatric patients diagnosed with psoriasis. We evaluated patients in two groups: early onset (EaO) (<60 years) and elderly onset (EO) (≥60 years).

Results: In our study, 53.8% of the patients were male, the average age was 68.7 years, and 65% of the patients were considered EaO. Knee and elbow lesions were detected more frequently at the beginning and during the disease in the EaO group; 44.4% of patients had nail psoriasis, while 20.6% had psoriatic arthritis. Nail involvement (P = 0.17) and the presence of psoriatic arthritis (P = 0.035) were more common in the EaO group. Erythrodermic psoriasis was more common in the EaO group, but it was not statistically significant (P = 0.097). It was observed that the disease course of psoriasis was slower in the EaO group compared to the EO group (P = 0.001). Systemic treatment was predominantly initiated as the first treatment agent in the EO group (P = 0.006). Patients in the EaO group received more cyclosporine treatment than the others (P = 0.004).

Conclusions: The geriatric population is associated with multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy, highlighting the importance of evaluating patients' medications and comorbidities when selecting a treatment agent for psoriasis.