Abstract
A 56-year-old woman with a 40-year history of guttate flares of psoriasis associated with stress and infection as well as chronic asthma was treated with subcutaneous injections of ustekinumab, repeated after 1 month and then every 3 months. Her psoriasis completely resolved, and her capacity for exercise was markedly increased and asthma maintenance medications were no longer needed. Ustekinumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds the p40 subunit of IL-12 and IL-23 to limit the progression of the Th1 and Th17 inflammatory immune responses that maintain many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Th17-related responses drive inflammation during late stages of chronic asthma and can also be blocked by ustekinumab. Blocking the underlying cytokine-mediated inflammatory responses for psoriasis with ustekinumab can also treat other chronic inflammatory diseases.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 63-66 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Dermatological Treatment |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1 2014 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Asthma
- Chronic inflammation
- IL-12p40
- Psoriasis
- Ustekinumab
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Dermatology