International Psoriasis Council Statement On The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

ST. LOUIS,March 13,2020 --The rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19)is aseriouspublic health concern.It remains unknown towhat extent the coronavirus impactspsoriasis and the treatment of psoriasis.

The International Psoriasis Council(IPC)advisesphysicianstobe alert to the potentially harmful effectsofCOVID-19infectionon patients with psoriasis andcounselalltheir patients on how toprevent transmissionof the virus.

Forpsoriasispatients diagnosedwithCOVID-19disease,the IPC recommends physicians discontinue or postponeuse of immunosuppressant medications.This is inaccordance with established psoriasis treatment guidelines(for example,theEuropean Dermatology Forumand theAmerican Academy of Dermatology),whichstateimmunosuppressivepsoriasistreatmentsare contraindicatedin patients with active infections.

Individualsover the age of60 years and/or patients with comorbid conditionsincluding cardiovasculardiseases,diabetes,hepatitis B,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,chronic kidney diseases,and cancerhave a higher riskfordeveloping a more serious course oftheillness.However,as of now,there is insufficient evidence to determine how COVID-19 willimpactpsoriasis patientson systemic treatmentwhoare infected with the virus.The benefit-to-risk ratio of any immunosuppressive therapeutic intervention should be carefully weighed in patients with comorbiditieson a case-to-case basis.

The IPC will continue to provide updates to the global dermatology community as we learn more about theeffectsofcoronavirusonpsoriasis.

For the latest information on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak,includingpreventionandsigns and symptomsof the disease,refer to theWorld Health Organization (WHO)website.

About International Psoriasis Council

The International Psoriasis Council is a dermatologist-led global organization with a network of more than 100 psoriasis experts dedicated to improving the health of people with psoriasis. IPC helps psoriasis patients get better care and treatment by conducting research into the disease and providing health care professionals with resources and education to best manage their patients with psoriasis.

Contact: Catie Coman,International Psoriasis Council

Phone: (971) 570-5884

Email: catie.coman@psoriasiscouncil.org

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