Management of guttate psoriasis in patients with associated streptococcal infection

nagement of guttate psoriasis in patients with associated streptococcal infection Review (907) Total Article Views Authors: Karabudak Abuaf O, Dogan B Published Date November 2012 Volume 2012:2 Pages 89 - 94 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/PTT.S25211 Received: 02 May 2012 Accepted: 16 June 2012 Published: 20 November 2012 zlem Karabudak Abuaf, Bilal Dogan Department of Dermatology, GATA Haydarpasa Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey Abstract: Psoriasis is a T cell-mediated inflammatory skin disease. It can be provoked or exacerbated by environmental factors, particularly medications and infections. Guttate psoriasis is a distinctive acute form of psoriasis that generally occurs in children and young adults. The association between guttate psoriasis and Streptococcus pyogenes is well established in medical literature; however, the exact mechanism can only be theorized. Treatment guidelines are not established, and it is unclear how necessary antibiotics are for acute state guttate psoriasis. Many dermatologists have recommended using antibiotic therapy or tonsillectomy, especially for patients with recurrent streptococcal infections. This paper briefly summarizes the possible mechanisms of pathogenesis and the recent research results on this topic and examines under what conditions a curative treatment of streptococcal infection by tonsillectomy or antibiotic treatment may benefit psoriasis patients.