Biological Therapy Survivability in Children with Psoriasis: Cohort Study

Background. There is a need to study genetically engineered biological therapy (GEBT) survivability and identify any significant risk factors for its ineffectiveness due to the increasing prevalence of psoriasis among children and the spreading GEBT administration. Such information has practical importance, it can be used to predict treatment outcomes and to develop individual therapeutic approaches. Objective. Our aim was to study biological therapy survivability and to identify risk factors for its ineffectiveness in children with moderate and severe forms of psoriasis. Methods. The study included data from 4-17 years old patients with moderate and severe forms of psoriasis vulgaris. Groups were formed according to the biological medication used. Statistical analyses were performed via SPSS Statistics. Biologic therapy survivability was determined via Kaplan-Meier method with the assessment of differences significance using log-rank test. Significant factors affecting cumulative risk growth were determined by Cox multiple regression method. Results. The study analysed data from the medical records of 105 patients. The average survivability of ustekinumab was 28.7 months, etanercept — 23.1, and adalimumab — 18.4. In the group of bio-naive patients, the survivability was higher: 30.8 months for ustekinumab and 24.4 months for ethanercept, while in the group of patients administrated previously with biological medication the survivability was 24.2 and 8.3 months, respectively. No statistically significant difference was revealed for adalimumab therapy. Significant risk factors for therapy ineffectiveness were the following: high body mass index (BMI) at the time of GEBT onset, aggravated family history, and prior use of one or several subsequent GEBT lines. Conclusion. The therapy survivability is inevitably declining over time. The best results were noted in bio-naive patients treated with ustekinumab that allows us to recommend it as the first-line drug in children with severe and moderate forms of psoriasis.

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