Improvements in Psoriasis Skin Severity Related to Sustained Gains in QoL

In patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, improvements in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores were directly related to gains in three Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) domain scores, according to study results published online ahead of print in the journal Dermatology and Therapy. 

“Patients who experience improvements in skin severity are likely to also experience improvements in quality of life,” researchers wrote. “Similarly, once skin severity no longer improves, quality of life is likely to remain stable. In other words, patients do not report a worsening in quality of life if their skin severity remains stable.” 

The study was a post-hoc analysis of 2401 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis from four phase 3 clinical trials. Patients received secukinumab, etanercept, or placebo. 

Overall, improvements on the PASI were positively correlated with improvements in the DLQI domains of daily activities, leisure activities, and symptoms/feelings, according to the study. When researchers looked at the treatment timeline, they found that over the first 12 weeks, correlations between skin clearance and improving quality of life were weak to moderate. Between weeks 13 and 52 of sustained treatment exposure, however, correlations turned moderate to strong. 

Trends were similar in both patients with and without comorbid psoriatic arthritis, the study showed. Furthermore, correlations between improved skin clearance and improved health-related quality of life occurred whether patients were randomized to secukinumab, etanercept, or placebo. 

“This work highlights the moderate relationship between achieving skin clearance and improving quality of life,” researchers wrote, “demonstrating the importance of improving skin clearance in creating a positive impact on disease-specific quality of life.” 

—Jolynn Tumolo

Reference: 

Houghton K, Patil D, Gomez B, Feldman SR. Correlation Between Change in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and Dermatology Life Quality Index in Patients with Psoriasis: Pooled Analysis from Four Phase 3 Clinical Trials of Secukinumab [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jun 10]. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2021;10.1007/s13555-021-00564-2. doi:10.1007/s13555-021-00564-2