Make a PEST of your psoriasis patients

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All psoriasis patients not already known to have psoriatic arthritis should complete the brief Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST) for the rheumatologic disease once per year, advised Jashin J. Wu, MD. The PEST is a simple, validated, five-question yes/no screening tool. It’s geared towards nonrheumatologists who may not feel competent to diagnose psoriatic arthritis or who just don’t have time to do so. Three or more “yes” answers is deemed a positive result warranting consideration of referral to a rheumatologist, explained Dr. Wu, the director of the psoriasis clinic and director of dermatology research at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.

Dr. Jashin J. Wu
Bruce Jancin/Frontline Medical News
Dr. Jashin J. Wu
The psoriasis guidelines from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommend annual screening using the PEST. The epidemiology of psoriatic arthritis makes this an excellent idea. Up to 30% of psoriasis patients develop psoriatic arthritis, irrespective of the severity of their skin disease, and early treatment is essential to preventing irreversible joint deformity, he said at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by the Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

The five PEST questions are:
 

  • Have you ever had a swollen joint (or joints)?
  • Has a doctor ever told you that you have arthritis?
  • Do your fingernails or toenails have holes or pits?
  • Have you had pain in your heel?
  • Have you had a finger or toe that was completely swollen and painful for no apparent reason?

The PEST has been shown to have 92% sensitivity and 78% specificity for diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2009 May-Jun;27[3]:469-74).

Dr. Wu’s call for regular screening for psoriatic arthritis resonated with another psoriasis expert at the meeting, Craig L. Leonardi, MD.

“It’s our moral obligation to be on the lookout for that disease. Remember that patients who develop psoriatic arthritis usually have their skin disease for 10 years before they develop their first signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. So that means they should be in the dermatologist’s office getting their skin treated as they start to have problems with their joints,” observed Dr. Leonardi, of Saint Louis University.

Dr. Wu reported receiving research funding from AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, and Regeneron.

The SDEF and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.
 

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All psoriasis patients not already known to have psoriatic arthritis should complete the brief Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST) for the rheumatologic disease once per year, advised Jashin J. Wu, MD. The PEST is a simple, validated, five-question yes/no screening tool. It’s geared towards nonrheumatologists who may not feel competent to diagnose psoriatic arthritis or who just don’t have time to do so. Three or more “yes” answers is deemed a positive result warranting consideration of referral to a rheumatologist, explained Dr. Wu, the director of the psoriasis clinic and director of dermatology research at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.

Dr. Jashin J. Wu
Bruce Jancin/Frontline Medical News
Dr. Jashin J. Wu
The psoriasis guidelines from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommend annual screening using the PEST. The epidemiology of psoriatic arthritis makes this an excellent idea. Up to 30% of psoriasis patients develop psoriatic arthritis, irrespective of the severity of their skin disease, and early treatment is essential to preventing irreversible joint deformity, he said at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by the Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

The five PEST questions are:
 

  • Have you ever had a swollen joint (or joints)?
  • Has a doctor ever told you that you have arthritis?
  • Do your fingernails or toenails have holes or pits?
  • Have you had pain in your heel?
  • Have you had a finger or toe that was completely swollen and painful for no apparent reason?

The PEST has been shown to have 92% sensitivity and 78% specificity for diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2009 May-Jun;27[3]:469-74).

Dr. Wu’s call for regular screening for psoriatic arthritis resonated with another psoriasis expert at the meeting, Craig L. Leonardi, MD.

“It’s our moral obligation to be on the lookout for that disease. Remember that patients who develop psoriatic arthritis usually have their skin disease for 10 years before they develop their first signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. So that means they should be in the dermatologist’s office getting their skin treated as they start to have problems with their joints,” observed Dr. Leonardi, of Saint Louis University.

Dr. Wu reported receiving research funding from AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, and Regeneron.

The SDEF and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.
 

 

All psoriasis patients not already known to have psoriatic arthritis should complete the brief Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST) for the rheumatologic disease once per year, advised Jashin J. Wu, MD. The PEST is a simple, validated, five-question yes/no screening tool. It’s geared towards nonrheumatologists who may not feel competent to diagnose psoriatic arthritis or who just don’t have time to do so. Three or more “yes” answers is deemed a positive result warranting consideration of referral to a rheumatologist, explained Dr. Wu, the director of the psoriasis clinic and director of dermatology research at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.

Dr. Jashin J. Wu
Bruce Jancin/Frontline Medical News
Dr. Jashin J. Wu
The psoriasis guidelines from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommend annual screening using the PEST. The epidemiology of psoriatic arthritis makes this an excellent idea. Up to 30% of psoriasis patients develop psoriatic arthritis, irrespective of the severity of their skin disease, and early treatment is essential to preventing irreversible joint deformity, he said at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by the Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

The five PEST questions are:
 

  • Have you ever had a swollen joint (or joints)?
  • Has a doctor ever told you that you have arthritis?
  • Do your fingernails or toenails have holes or pits?
  • Have you had pain in your heel?
  • Have you had a finger or toe that was completely swollen and painful for no apparent reason?

The PEST has been shown to have 92% sensitivity and 78% specificity for diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2009 May-Jun;27[3]:469-74).

Dr. Wu’s call for regular screening for psoriatic arthritis resonated with another psoriasis expert at the meeting, Craig L. Leonardi, MD.

“It’s our moral obligation to be on the lookout for that disease. Remember that patients who develop psoriatic arthritis usually have their skin disease for 10 years before they develop their first signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. So that means they should be in the dermatologist’s office getting their skin treated as they start to have problems with their joints,” observed Dr. Leonardi, of Saint Louis University.

Dr. Wu reported receiving research funding from AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, and Regeneron.

The SDEF and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.
 

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VIDEO: Painless PDT and other AK tricks

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Mon, 04/29/2019 - 10:37

– Imiquimod on the lip can be extremely painful, but it works wonders for actinic cheilitis, sometimes with only a few treatments.

Also, photodynamic therapy for actinic keratoses (AKs) doesn’t have to hurt. You just have to adjust the aminolevulinic acid incubation time and how long patients stay under the lamp, advised Theodore Rosen, MD, professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.


These are just a few of the tips Dr. Rosen shared in a presentation about AKs at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

In a video interview after his talk, he went into detail about the use of imiquimod for actinic cheilitis – AKs of the lip – and painless PDT, as well as how to discuss AKs with patients – and a quick, clever way to help distinguish AKs from squamous cell carcinoma.

Dr. Rosen is an adviser to Aclaris, Cipher, Pfizer, and Valeant.

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– Imiquimod on the lip can be extremely painful, but it works wonders for actinic cheilitis, sometimes with only a few treatments.

Also, photodynamic therapy for actinic keratoses (AKs) doesn’t have to hurt. You just have to adjust the aminolevulinic acid incubation time and how long patients stay under the lamp, advised Theodore Rosen, MD, professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.


These are just a few of the tips Dr. Rosen shared in a presentation about AKs at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

In a video interview after his talk, he went into detail about the use of imiquimod for actinic cheilitis – AKs of the lip – and painless PDT, as well as how to discuss AKs with patients – and a quick, clever way to help distinguish AKs from squamous cell carcinoma.

Dr. Rosen is an adviser to Aclaris, Cipher, Pfizer, and Valeant.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

– Imiquimod on the lip can be extremely painful, but it works wonders for actinic cheilitis, sometimes with only a few treatments.

Also, photodynamic therapy for actinic keratoses (AKs) doesn’t have to hurt. You just have to adjust the aminolevulinic acid incubation time and how long patients stay under the lamp, advised Theodore Rosen, MD, professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.


These are just a few of the tips Dr. Rosen shared in a presentation about AKs at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

In a video interview after his talk, he went into detail about the use of imiquimod for actinic cheilitis – AKs of the lip – and painless PDT, as well as how to discuss AKs with patients – and a quick, clever way to help distinguish AKs from squamous cell carcinoma.

Dr. Rosen is an adviser to Aclaris, Cipher, Pfizer, and Valeant.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

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Maximizing topical toenail fungus therapy

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Fri, 01/18/2019 - 17:23

– Two keys to effective topical treatment of onychomycosis are treat it early and address coexisting tinea pedis, according to Theodore Rosen, MD.

A third element in achieving treatment success is to use one of the newer topical agents: efinaconazole (Jublia) or tavaborole (Kerydin). The efficacy of efinaconazole approaches that of terbinafine, the most effective and widely prescribed oral agent, which has a 59% rate of almost complete cure, defined as less than 10% residual abnormal nail with no requirement for mycologic cure.

Bruce Jancin/Frontline Medical News
Dr. Theodore Rosen

And while tavaborole isn’t quite as effective, it’s definitely better than previous topical agents, Dr. Rosen said at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

Both of these topicals are well tolerated and feature good nail permeation. They also allow for spread to the lateral nail folds and hyponychium. They even penetrate nail polish, although efinaconazole often causes the polish to lose its spiffy gloss, said Dr. Rosen, professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

To underscore the importance of early treatment and addressing concomitant tinea pedis, he cited published secondary analyses of two identical double-blind, multicenter, 48-week clinical trials totaling 1,655 adults with onychomycosis who were randomized 3:1 to once-daily efinaconazole 10% topical solution or its vehicle.
 

Treat early

Phoebe Rich, MD, of the Oregon Dermatology and Research Center, Portland, broke down the outcomes according to disease duration, in a study of more than 1,500 patients with onychomycosis. She found that the complete cure rate at 52 weeks dropped off markedly in patients with a history of onychomycosis for 1 year or longer at baseline.

Complete cure – defined as no clinical involvement of the target toenail along with both a negative potassium hydroxide examination and a negative fungal culture at 52 weeks – was achieved in 43% of efinaconazole-treated patients with onychomycosis for less than 1 year. The rate then plunged to 17% in those with a disease duration of 1-5 years and 16% in patients with onychomycosis for more than 5 years. Nevertheless, the topical antifungal was significantly more effective than was the vehicle, across the board, with complete cure rates in the vehicle group of roughly 18%, 5%, and 2%, respectively, in patients with onychomycosis for less than 1 year, 1-5 years, and more than 5 years (J Drugs Dermatol. 2015 Jan;14[1]:58-62).
 

Tackle coexisting tinea pedis

Podiatrists analyzed the combined efinaconazole outcome data based on whether participants had no coexisting tinea pedis, baseline tinea pedis treated concomitantly with an investigator-approved topical antifungal, or tinea pedis left untreated. They concluded that treatment of coexisting tinea pedis decisively enhanced the efficacy of efinaconazole for onychomycosis.

A total of 21% of study participants had concomitant tinea pedis, and 61% of them were treated for it. At week 52, the onychomycosis complete cure rate was 29% in the efinaconazole group concurrently treated for tinea pedis, compared with just 16% if their tinea pedis was untreated (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2015 Sep;105[5]:407-11).

“If you see tinea pedis, don’t blow it off. Treat it. Otherwise, you’re not getting rid of the fungal reservoir,” Dr. Rosen emphasized.

He noted that two topical agents approved for tinea pedis – naftifine 2% cream or gel and luliconazole 1% cream – are effective as once-daily therapy for 2 weeks, a considerably briefer regimen than with other approved topicals. And short-course therapy spells improved adherence, he added.

In the pivotal trials, naftifine had an effective treatment rate – a clinically useful endpoint defined as a small amount of residual scaling and/or redness but no itching – of 57%, while for luliconazole the rates were 33%-48%.

These two agents also are approved for treatment of tinea corporis and tinea cruris. Naftifine is approved as a once-daily treatment for 2 weeks, while luliconazole is, notably, a 7-day treatment. Luliconazole, in particular, is a relatively expensive drug, Dr. Rosen added, so insurers may require prior failure on clotrimazole.
 

When to treat onychomycosis topically

The pivotal trials of tavaborole and efinaconazole were conducted in patients with 20%-60% nail involvement. The infection didn’t extend to the matrix, and nail thickness and crumbly subungual debris were modest at baseline.

“There are always potential safety issues – drug interactions, GI disturbance, taste loss, headache, teratogenicity, cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity – anytime you put a pill in your mouth. So if you have a patient who’s dedicated enough to use a topical for 48 weeks and it’s a modestly affected nail, think about it,” Dr. Rosen advised.

He reported serving on scientific advisory boards for Aclaris, Anacor, Cipla, and Valeant.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.
 

 

 

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– Two keys to effective topical treatment of onychomycosis are treat it early and address coexisting tinea pedis, according to Theodore Rosen, MD.

A third element in achieving treatment success is to use one of the newer topical agents: efinaconazole (Jublia) or tavaborole (Kerydin). The efficacy of efinaconazole approaches that of terbinafine, the most effective and widely prescribed oral agent, which has a 59% rate of almost complete cure, defined as less than 10% residual abnormal nail with no requirement for mycologic cure.

Bruce Jancin/Frontline Medical News
Dr. Theodore Rosen

And while tavaborole isn’t quite as effective, it’s definitely better than previous topical agents, Dr. Rosen said at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

Both of these topicals are well tolerated and feature good nail permeation. They also allow for spread to the lateral nail folds and hyponychium. They even penetrate nail polish, although efinaconazole often causes the polish to lose its spiffy gloss, said Dr. Rosen, professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

To underscore the importance of early treatment and addressing concomitant tinea pedis, he cited published secondary analyses of two identical double-blind, multicenter, 48-week clinical trials totaling 1,655 adults with onychomycosis who were randomized 3:1 to once-daily efinaconazole 10% topical solution or its vehicle.
 

Treat early

Phoebe Rich, MD, of the Oregon Dermatology and Research Center, Portland, broke down the outcomes according to disease duration, in a study of more than 1,500 patients with onychomycosis. She found that the complete cure rate at 52 weeks dropped off markedly in patients with a history of onychomycosis for 1 year or longer at baseline.

Complete cure – defined as no clinical involvement of the target toenail along with both a negative potassium hydroxide examination and a negative fungal culture at 52 weeks – was achieved in 43% of efinaconazole-treated patients with onychomycosis for less than 1 year. The rate then plunged to 17% in those with a disease duration of 1-5 years and 16% in patients with onychomycosis for more than 5 years. Nevertheless, the topical antifungal was significantly more effective than was the vehicle, across the board, with complete cure rates in the vehicle group of roughly 18%, 5%, and 2%, respectively, in patients with onychomycosis for less than 1 year, 1-5 years, and more than 5 years (J Drugs Dermatol. 2015 Jan;14[1]:58-62).
 

Tackle coexisting tinea pedis

Podiatrists analyzed the combined efinaconazole outcome data based on whether participants had no coexisting tinea pedis, baseline tinea pedis treated concomitantly with an investigator-approved topical antifungal, or tinea pedis left untreated. They concluded that treatment of coexisting tinea pedis decisively enhanced the efficacy of efinaconazole for onychomycosis.

A total of 21% of study participants had concomitant tinea pedis, and 61% of them were treated for it. At week 52, the onychomycosis complete cure rate was 29% in the efinaconazole group concurrently treated for tinea pedis, compared with just 16% if their tinea pedis was untreated (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2015 Sep;105[5]:407-11).

“If you see tinea pedis, don’t blow it off. Treat it. Otherwise, you’re not getting rid of the fungal reservoir,” Dr. Rosen emphasized.

He noted that two topical agents approved for tinea pedis – naftifine 2% cream or gel and luliconazole 1% cream – are effective as once-daily therapy for 2 weeks, a considerably briefer regimen than with other approved topicals. And short-course therapy spells improved adherence, he added.

In the pivotal trials, naftifine had an effective treatment rate – a clinically useful endpoint defined as a small amount of residual scaling and/or redness but no itching – of 57%, while for luliconazole the rates were 33%-48%.

These two agents also are approved for treatment of tinea corporis and tinea cruris. Naftifine is approved as a once-daily treatment for 2 weeks, while luliconazole is, notably, a 7-day treatment. Luliconazole, in particular, is a relatively expensive drug, Dr. Rosen added, so insurers may require prior failure on clotrimazole.
 

When to treat onychomycosis topically

The pivotal trials of tavaborole and efinaconazole were conducted in patients with 20%-60% nail involvement. The infection didn’t extend to the matrix, and nail thickness and crumbly subungual debris were modest at baseline.

“There are always potential safety issues – drug interactions, GI disturbance, taste loss, headache, teratogenicity, cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity – anytime you put a pill in your mouth. So if you have a patient who’s dedicated enough to use a topical for 48 weeks and it’s a modestly affected nail, think about it,” Dr. Rosen advised.

He reported serving on scientific advisory boards for Aclaris, Anacor, Cipla, and Valeant.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.
 

 

 

– Two keys to effective topical treatment of onychomycosis are treat it early and address coexisting tinea pedis, according to Theodore Rosen, MD.

A third element in achieving treatment success is to use one of the newer topical agents: efinaconazole (Jublia) or tavaborole (Kerydin). The efficacy of efinaconazole approaches that of terbinafine, the most effective and widely prescribed oral agent, which has a 59% rate of almost complete cure, defined as less than 10% residual abnormal nail with no requirement for mycologic cure.

Bruce Jancin/Frontline Medical News
Dr. Theodore Rosen

And while tavaborole isn’t quite as effective, it’s definitely better than previous topical agents, Dr. Rosen said at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

Both of these topicals are well tolerated and feature good nail permeation. They also allow for spread to the lateral nail folds and hyponychium. They even penetrate nail polish, although efinaconazole often causes the polish to lose its spiffy gloss, said Dr. Rosen, professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

To underscore the importance of early treatment and addressing concomitant tinea pedis, he cited published secondary analyses of two identical double-blind, multicenter, 48-week clinical trials totaling 1,655 adults with onychomycosis who were randomized 3:1 to once-daily efinaconazole 10% topical solution or its vehicle.
 

Treat early

Phoebe Rich, MD, of the Oregon Dermatology and Research Center, Portland, broke down the outcomes according to disease duration, in a study of more than 1,500 patients with onychomycosis. She found that the complete cure rate at 52 weeks dropped off markedly in patients with a history of onychomycosis for 1 year or longer at baseline.

Complete cure – defined as no clinical involvement of the target toenail along with both a negative potassium hydroxide examination and a negative fungal culture at 52 weeks – was achieved in 43% of efinaconazole-treated patients with onychomycosis for less than 1 year. The rate then plunged to 17% in those with a disease duration of 1-5 years and 16% in patients with onychomycosis for more than 5 years. Nevertheless, the topical antifungal was significantly more effective than was the vehicle, across the board, with complete cure rates in the vehicle group of roughly 18%, 5%, and 2%, respectively, in patients with onychomycosis for less than 1 year, 1-5 years, and more than 5 years (J Drugs Dermatol. 2015 Jan;14[1]:58-62).
 

Tackle coexisting tinea pedis

Podiatrists analyzed the combined efinaconazole outcome data based on whether participants had no coexisting tinea pedis, baseline tinea pedis treated concomitantly with an investigator-approved topical antifungal, or tinea pedis left untreated. They concluded that treatment of coexisting tinea pedis decisively enhanced the efficacy of efinaconazole for onychomycosis.

A total of 21% of study participants had concomitant tinea pedis, and 61% of them were treated for it. At week 52, the onychomycosis complete cure rate was 29% in the efinaconazole group concurrently treated for tinea pedis, compared with just 16% if their tinea pedis was untreated (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2015 Sep;105[5]:407-11).

“If you see tinea pedis, don’t blow it off. Treat it. Otherwise, you’re not getting rid of the fungal reservoir,” Dr. Rosen emphasized.

He noted that two topical agents approved for tinea pedis – naftifine 2% cream or gel and luliconazole 1% cream – are effective as once-daily therapy for 2 weeks, a considerably briefer regimen than with other approved topicals. And short-course therapy spells improved adherence, he added.

In the pivotal trials, naftifine had an effective treatment rate – a clinically useful endpoint defined as a small amount of residual scaling and/or redness but no itching – of 57%, while for luliconazole the rates were 33%-48%.

These two agents also are approved for treatment of tinea corporis and tinea cruris. Naftifine is approved as a once-daily treatment for 2 weeks, while luliconazole is, notably, a 7-day treatment. Luliconazole, in particular, is a relatively expensive drug, Dr. Rosen added, so insurers may require prior failure on clotrimazole.
 

When to treat onychomycosis topically

The pivotal trials of tavaborole and efinaconazole were conducted in patients with 20%-60% nail involvement. The infection didn’t extend to the matrix, and nail thickness and crumbly subungual debris were modest at baseline.

“There are always potential safety issues – drug interactions, GI disturbance, taste loss, headache, teratogenicity, cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity – anytime you put a pill in your mouth. So if you have a patient who’s dedicated enough to use a topical for 48 weeks and it’s a modestly affected nail, think about it,” Dr. Rosen advised.

He reported serving on scientific advisory boards for Aclaris, Anacor, Cipla, and Valeant.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.
 

 

 

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VIDEO: What to monitor during isotretinoin treatment

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– Hilary Baldwin, MD, medical director of the Acne Treatment and Research Center, Morristown, N.J., recently changed how she monitors patients on isotretinoin.

The latest research indicates that ongoing CBCs really aren’t necessary, and that GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase), which is liver specific, is a far better option than ALT/AST to keep tabs on the liver. Creatine kinase can’t be ignored, either, especially in young, athletic patients, because of the risk of rhabdomyolysis.

In a video interview at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation, Dr. Baldwin explained the thinking behind her new approach, plus what else needs to be monitored and for how long – and the level of creatine kinase that should raise a red flag for clinicians.

Dr. Baldwin is a speaker, advisor, and/or investigator for a number of companies, including Allergan, Galderma, and La Roche Posay.

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– Hilary Baldwin, MD, medical director of the Acne Treatment and Research Center, Morristown, N.J., recently changed how she monitors patients on isotretinoin.

The latest research indicates that ongoing CBCs really aren’t necessary, and that GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase), which is liver specific, is a far better option than ALT/AST to keep tabs on the liver. Creatine kinase can’t be ignored, either, especially in young, athletic patients, because of the risk of rhabdomyolysis.

In a video interview at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation, Dr. Baldwin explained the thinking behind her new approach, plus what else needs to be monitored and for how long – and the level of creatine kinase that should raise a red flag for clinicians.

Dr. Baldwin is a speaker, advisor, and/or investigator for a number of companies, including Allergan, Galderma, and La Roche Posay.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

– Hilary Baldwin, MD, medical director of the Acne Treatment and Research Center, Morristown, N.J., recently changed how she monitors patients on isotretinoin.

The latest research indicates that ongoing CBCs really aren’t necessary, and that GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase), which is liver specific, is a far better option than ALT/AST to keep tabs on the liver. Creatine kinase can’t be ignored, either, especially in young, athletic patients, because of the risk of rhabdomyolysis.

In a video interview at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation, Dr. Baldwin explained the thinking behind her new approach, plus what else needs to be monitored and for how long – and the level of creatine kinase that should raise a red flag for clinicians.

Dr. Baldwin is a speaker, advisor, and/or investigator for a number of companies, including Allergan, Galderma, and La Roche Posay.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

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VIDEO: Dupilumab or cyclosporine for treating atopic dermatitis?

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Mon, 04/29/2019 - 12:23

– Sometimes, older is better, according to Eric Simpson, MD, professor of dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland.

Dr. Simpson was a key investigator in trials that were the basis of dupilumab’s approval in 2017 for adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), but there’s still a role for cyclosporine and other old standbys, he said in a video interview at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

He said he’s asked all the time how to pick a systemic treatment for AD when topicals aren’t doing the trick. In the interview, he explained how dupilumab (Dupixent) fits into the picture, and how to select the right systemic therapy for the right patient. There are not a lot of data yet pointing to one option over the others for first-line treatment; a lot of it comes down to clinical smarts and patient preference.

Dr. Simpson is a consultant and/or investigator for a number of companies, including Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, and dupilumab manufacturer, Regeneron.

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– Sometimes, older is better, according to Eric Simpson, MD, professor of dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland.

Dr. Simpson was a key investigator in trials that were the basis of dupilumab’s approval in 2017 for adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), but there’s still a role for cyclosporine and other old standbys, he said in a video interview at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

He said he’s asked all the time how to pick a systemic treatment for AD when topicals aren’t doing the trick. In the interview, he explained how dupilumab (Dupixent) fits into the picture, and how to select the right systemic therapy for the right patient. There are not a lot of data yet pointing to one option over the others for first-line treatment; a lot of it comes down to clinical smarts and patient preference.

Dr. Simpson is a consultant and/or investigator for a number of companies, including Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, and dupilumab manufacturer, Regeneron.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

– Sometimes, older is better, according to Eric Simpson, MD, professor of dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland.

Dr. Simpson was a key investigator in trials that were the basis of dupilumab’s approval in 2017 for adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), but there’s still a role for cyclosporine and other old standbys, he said in a video interview at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.

He said he’s asked all the time how to pick a systemic treatment for AD when topicals aren’t doing the trick. In the interview, he explained how dupilumab (Dupixent) fits into the picture, and how to select the right systemic therapy for the right patient. There are not a lot of data yet pointing to one option over the others for first-line treatment; a lot of it comes down to clinical smarts and patient preference.

Dr. Simpson is a consultant and/or investigator for a number of companies, including Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, and dupilumab manufacturer, Regeneron.

SDEF/Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

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REPORTING FROM SDEF HAWAII DERMATOLOGY SEMINAR

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