Psoriasis: emerging therapeutic strategies.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that is characterized by thickened, scaly plaques, and is estimated to affect approximately 1-3% of the Caucasian population. Traditional treatments, although effective in patients with limited disease, have numerous shortcomings, including inconvenience and toxicity. These drawbacks mean that many patients experience cycles of disease clearance, in which normal quality of life alternates with active disease and poor quality of life. However, as this review discusses, recent advances have highlighted the key role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, and have provided new defined targets for therapeutic intervention, offering hope for safe and effective psoriasis treatment.