Risks and Benefits of the Treatment of Psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic cutaneous disorder of unknown cause that afflicts at least 2 per cent of the population of the United States. The manifestations of psoriasis range from a few localized lesions to a generalized exfoliative erythroderma; the consequences of the disease vary from inconvenience to disablement. Epidermal proliferation with rapid cell turnover is a primary feature, so that therapies that inhibit cell division are used. Among these therapies photochemotherapy has been the treatment of choice since its introduction by Goeckerman in 1925.¹ Initially, ultraviolet light in the short (290 to 320 nm) range was employed, along with crude . . .