LAS VEGAS – Clinicians should consider the increased risk for multiple comorbidities in their patients with psoriasis, Joel M. Gelfand, MD, said in a video interview at the Skin Disease Education Foundation’s annual Las Vegas Dermatology Seminar.
“These are patients who should undergo the type of age-appropriate screening that any patient should have,” including checks for blood pressure and diabetes, said Dr. Gelfand, professor of dermatology and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
In terms of preparing for systemic psoriasis therapy, “there are lots of things we can do to lower the risk of having bad outcomes,” including age-appropriate cancer screening such as colonoscopy and mammography, he added. Vaccination is also an important strategy to help reduce the risk of potential side effects related to immunosuppression, he noted.
Dr. Gelfand disclosed relationships with multiple companies including AbbVie, Celgene, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Valeant.
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