Impact of Clinical and Psychological Factors on Treatment Satisfaction in Psoriatic Patients in Biological Therapy

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease with a significant impact on the quality of life of those affected. The introduction of monoclonal antibodies directed against key cytokines in the pathogenesis of the disease has so far allowed to obtain excellent results not only in terms of objective clinical response (PASI90, PASI100), but also in terms of quality of life (DLQI) thanks to the speed of action, the long-term response and the better safety profile compared to so-called "traditional" drugs, such as cyclosporine, methotrexate and acitretin.

Patient satisfaction is one of the main elements to ensure the success of a systemic therapy for a chronic disease such as psoriasis, as it is closely related to adherence to treatment. Although the literature suggests that treatment satisfaction derives mainly from objective data such as the extent of residual disease, there are no unequivocal data on which values of the disease severity index (PASI) are associated with greater patient satisfaction. Recent studies have also shown that a certain percentage of patients who achieve optimal responses with biological therapies (PASI90, PASI100, absolute PASI <2), still report an impact of the disease on their quality of life (assessed by DLQI) (2021 Life Basel Kirsten et al Which PASI Outcomes Most Relevant to the Patients in Real-World Care?) This paradox has been partly explained by the localization of residual disease in so-called sensitive sites and by the presence of a possible associated symptomatology, but it is still partially unexplored how the psychological profile of the patient can influence this aspect. (DermatolTher 2022 Lebwohl M. et al "Evolution of Patient Perceptions of Psoriatic Disease: Results from the Understanding Psoriatic Disease Leveraging Insights for Treatment (UPLIFT) Survey"). In particular, it remains to be clarified the weight of some psychopathological characteristics of patients and how these can negatively affect the quality of life and consequently satisfaction with treatment. On the other hand, it is known that there is an increased prevalence of numerous psychiatric pathologies in psoriatic patients: depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, psychosis, cognitive impairment, sexual disorders, sleep disorders, eating behavior and personality disorders. (Rev. Neuroscience, Amanat M. et al "Neurological and psychiatric disorders in psoriasis").

With regard to personality alterations, several studies have shown an increased prevalence (37.4%) of a particular personality profile, Type D, in patients with psoriasis: this is a personality profile characterized by negative emotionality, often associated with a higher incidence of psychiatric diseases (such as anxiety and depression) and which could affect satisfaction with therapies.