Successful treatment with etanercept of von Zumbusch pustular psoriasis in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus.

Treatment of von Zumbusch pustular psoriasis is a formidable task, especially when confounded by concomitant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful use of a biologic agent to treat a patient with both von Zumbusch pustular psoriasis and HIV. Given the propensity of HIV to both trigger and exacerbate psoriasis and the potentially severe complications associated with the acute, von Zumbusch variant, we believe this report provides precedence for dermatologists to consider anti–tumor necrosis factor (anti–TNF) agents as a part of the armamentarium in the treatment of these patients.