New method for determining prognosis of patients with psoriasis (E-PAP)

• Published in: Journal of dermatological science 1998, Vol.16 (2), p.165-169
• Main Authors: Sugai, Junichi, Ozawa, Akira, Kawakubo, Yo, Iizuka, Mariko, Miyahara, Motomi, Ohkido, Muneo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antirheumatic Agents - administration & dosage; Antirheumatic Agents - adverse effects; Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use; Cyclosporin; Cyclosporine - administration & dosage; Cyclosporine - adverse effects; Cyclosporine - therapeutic use; E-PAP; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; Long-term intermittent therapy; Long-term uninterrupted monotherapy; Methods; PASI; Prognosis; Psoriasis; Psoriasis - blood; Psoriasis - diagnosis; Psoriasis - drug therapy; Remission Induction; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0923-1811; 1873-569X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0923-1811(97)00047-9

We developed a new method for evaluating clinical symptoms of psoriasis during the observation period, by adding a parameter of time (the number of days) to the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). This method was named the evaluation for prognosis with averaged PASI (E-PAP). Using this method, we assessed 14 cases to determine the following items: (1) clinical symptoms during the observation period; (2) clinical effects of treatments; (3) patient's satisfaction with treatments; and (4) necessity for additional and/or alternate treatments. We evaluated the usefulness of E-PAP in determining the prognosis of patients with psoriasis by comparing the uninterrupted monotherapy and intermittent therapy with cyclosporin A (Cys A). Although there were no differences in Cys A dosages after remission as well as adverse reactions between the two groups, the E-PAP value was significantly different between them. These results suggest that this method may be useful for determining the prognosis of patients with psoriasis.