PsA Management: Psoriasis Beyond Skin Symptoms

At the 2025 South Beach Symposium, Leon Kircik, MD, a clinical professor of dermatology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Indiana School of Medicine, shared his expertise on the importance of a holistic approach to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis management. In an interview with Dermatology Times, he emphasized that clinicians must go beyond treating visible skin symptoms and consider the broader inflammatory nature of these conditions.

Kircik highlighted the significance of asking simple yet effective questions to identify potential joint involvement in psoriasis patients. "It takes less than a minute to ask the patient, do you have difficulty getting out of the car while you drive an hour or two?Do you have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning?" he explained. He says these questions can serve as an entry point to educating patients about the systemic nature of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

A major challenge in managing these chronic inflammatory diseases is patient adherence to treatment. Kircik pointed out that many patients discontinue therapy once their skin clears. "Really, with the wonderful drugs that we have now, the problem is patients do get better, then they stop the treatment," he noted. He compared psoriasis treatment to diabetes management, where continuous medication is necessary. "I always tell them, do you stop giving the insulin shot to yourself? You don’t. It's the same idea when it comes to those new drugs, the biologics, or the orals, whatever we have, you have to take them continuously in order to keep the disease under control."

Kircik stressed the evolving treatment landscape for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. "We are very, very lucky at this day and age, especially with psoriasis, to have too many options. We have biologics, we have systemic drugs, we have JAK inhibitors, we have PDE4 inhibitors." With these advancements, Kircik said treatment can now be personalized based on disease severity, joint involvement, and patient preferences.

By prioritizing patient education and adherence, clinicians can improve long-term outcomes and ensure that patients understand the chronic nature of their condition. With ongoing research and expanding therapeutic options, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis management continue to progress, offering hope for better disease control and improved quality of life.

Dermatology Times staff are onsite at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel for South Beach Symposium 2025. Subscribe to our eNewsletter for the latest in expert insights, exclusive interviews, and late-breaking data.

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