TNF inhibitor-induced psoriasiform dermatitis in children: Clinical and mechanistic analyses

Overview:

Injectable medications that inhibit tumor necrosis factor (TNF) block inflammation in arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis. However, there are reports of psoriasis or a psoriasis-like skin disease developing, particularly in adults, during treatment with TNF inhibitors. Diagnosis can be challenging and the mechanism of disease, particularly in children, has not been explored.

We plan to study the clinical patterns of TNF-induced versus classic psoriasis in children, with the expectation that their patterns of distribution, appearance, and types of immune markers expressed in the skin will differ. We will use tape strips (a painless, non-invasive technique) to collect superficial skin cells, and will identify markers of their immune system response in skin. We predict that the degree of altered immune expression will correlate with disease severity. Our goal is to better understand TNFi psoriasiform disease and develop a tape strip panel to distinguish TNFi-induced psoriasis from classic psoriasis.

Status:

This project was funded by a 2020 PeDRA Research Grant.