title: Research gaps in psoriasis: opportunities for future studies.
abstract: Over the past 2 decades, considerable progress has been made to further elucidate the complex pathogenesis of psoriasis, facilitating the development of a new armamentarium of more effective, targeted therapies. Despite these important advances, substantial deficits remain in our understanding of psoriasis and its treatment, necessitating further research in many areas. In the sixth section of the American Academy of Dermatology Psoriasis Guidelines of Care, gaps in research and care were identified. We discuss the most important gaps in research that currently exist and make suggestions for studies that should be performed to address these deficits. These encompass both basic science and clinical research studies, including large, prospective epidemiologic studies to determine the true prevalence and natural history of psoriasis; further molecular studies in patients with psoriatic and psoriatic arthritis to understand the function of psoriasis susceptibility genes and to identify novel therapeutic targets; studies to examine the role of environmental factors in the development of psoriasis; further investigation of the relationship between psoriasis and cardiometabolic disease; studies that examine the role of adjunctive therapies such as psychological interventions in appropriate patient groups; and finally, studies to identify biomarkers of disease severity and treatment response to optimize patient therapy.
authors.affiliation: Psoriasis Research Center, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Caitriona
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Murdough Family Center for Psoriasis, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Korman
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Joel M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gelfand
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Henry W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Elmets
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.affiliation: Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Alice B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of California-San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: John Y M
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lebwohl
authors.affiliation: Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Craig L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Abby S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Van Voorhees
authors.affiliation: American Academy of Dermatology, Schaumburg, Illinois. Electronic address: rbhushan@aad.org.
authors.forename: Reva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bhushan
authors.affiliation: Psoriasis Research Center, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menter
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004777:Environment; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: ACR; American College of Rheumatology; C-reactive protein; CRP; FDA; Food and Drug Administration; IFN; IL; MACE; MI; NB; NIH; National Institutes of Health; PsA; RA; RCT; TNF; UV; VEGF; adjunctive therapies; biologics; cardiovascular disease; comorbidities in psoriasis; comparative studies; disease severity; environmental factors in the development of psoriasis; future research studies; interferon; interleukin; major adverse cardiovascular events; methotrexate; molecular studies in psoriatic and psoriatic arthritis; myocardial infarction; narrowband; pathomechanisms and genetics of psoriasis; phototherapy; psoriasis; psoriasis guidelines; psoriasis treatment; psoriatic arthritis; psychological; randomized controlled clinical trial; research gaps; rheumatoid arthritis; therapeutic targets; topical therapies; tumor necrosis factor; ultraviolet; vascular endothelial growth factor