New-onset and flares of psoriasis after COVID-19 infection or vaccination successfully treated with biologics: a case series
Luigi Gargiulo, Luciano Ibba, Carlo Alberto Vignoli, Francesco Piscazzi, Andrea Cortese, Giovanni Fiorillo, Francesco Toso, Giulia Pavia, Mario Valenti, Jessica Avagliano, Alessandra Narcisi, Antonio Costanzo
Abstract
Since the worldwide spreading COVID-19 pandemic from early 2020 onwards, several cutaneous manifestations of SARS-CoV2 infection have been described. Similarly, with the start of the global vaccination campaign, reports of new onset or exacerbation of inflammatory dermatoses have been reported. In particular, numerous case reports of psoriasis flares after COVID-19 infection and/or vaccination have recently been published.Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of anti-interleukin (IL) biologic drugs for the treatment of severe flares of psoriasis following COVID-19 infection or vaccination.Twenty-eight patients with a diagnosis of moderate-to-severe psoriasis following COVID-19 infection or vaccination or patients with a severe flare of previously untreated mild plaque psoriasis, all treated with biologics, were enrolled in this study.After 16 weeks of treatment, the mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index decreased from 13.65 to 0.77, with 16 patients (57.14%) achieving complete skin clearance.In our study, we underline a high-effectiveness profile of different biological drugs in treating psoriasis flares induced by COVID-19 vaccination and/or infection. Our data support the role of biologics in preventing severe flares of psoriasis despite possible concomitant inflammatory triggers, such as infections or vaccines.