Current therapeutic options in psoriasis

Introduction Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder, characterized by inflammatory and hyperproliferative processes. Globally, reports on the prevalence of psoriasis reveal major differences in terms of ethnicity and climate zone, ranging between 0 and 11.8% (Jacobson et al 2011). In Europe, psoriasis affects approximately 2-3% of the population. Psoriasis onset can occur at any age, including birth, but there are two peaks, one in teenagers, around 15-20 years of age, and another in the elderly, 55-60 years of age. There are no significant differences in the incidence of psoriasis in male and female patients (Parisi et al 2013). In most cases, the diagnosis of psoriasis is a clinical one, the careful examination evaluating the characteristic appearance of the lesions (fig. 1), their typical localization predominantly on the extensor surfaces and family history of psoriasis are highly suggestive, allowing easy diagnosis (Langley et al 2005).