Psoriatic skin lesions induced by tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha-therapy

Antonia Cosima Faul, Christian Folwaczny, Birgit Angela Aigner, Rüdiger Hein, Johannes Ring, Sabine Gisela Plötz

Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Dermatology Munich-Harlaching, Munich, Germany.
Gastroenterology Office, Medical Center Munich-Harlaching, Munich, Germany.

DOI: 10.4236/crcm.2013.21023                

Abstract

A 46-year-old, caucasian woman suffering from Crohn’s disease and a 35-year-old woman suffering from ankylosing spondylitis were treated with the TNFα blocker infliximab and developed psoriasiform skin lesions. The pathophysiology of this paradoxical clinical response as a newly recognized adverse effect of TNFα antagonists is unknown. According to the literature, this type of newly triggered psoriasis may occur any time after initiation of TNFα antagonist therapy and responds to classic antipsoriatic treatment. The phenomenon warrants attention, especially when considering anti-TNFα treatment in various skin diseases besides psoriasis.

Keywords

Infliximab; Psoriasis; TNFα Inhibitors; Crohn’s Disease; Ankylosing Spondylitis; Side Effects

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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