Systemic treatment of psoriasis - Part I: Methotrexate and acitretin

Abstract

The physiopathology of psoriasis has not yet been thoroughly clarified. Although there has been undeniable progress in the last decade, doubts remain about the nature of the antigens, which lead to activation of T lymphocytes, and about the regulation of the inflammatory mechanisms. Besides the development of new therapies, the improved management of classical systemic treatments has contributed to reduce the morbidity rate of the disease and has achieved a positive impact on the patients' quality of life. Underscoring the importance of this, the EMC-D article focuses on a review of using Methotrexate and Acitretin in the treatment of psoriasis. The use of biological therapies and other immunomodulators will be discussed in a future chapter.