Results of CRYSTAL retrospective observational study in Russia: severity of the disease, treatment landscapes and quality of life in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis receiving systemic therapy in routine clinical practice

Background. Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease with frequent pathological musculoskeletal changes which has a significant impact on health and has a negative socioeconomic effect. Data on disease control and treatment strategies in routine clinical practice in Russia are limited.

Aim. To describe the severity of the disease, response to therapy, and quality of life in patients who received continuous systemic therapy for ≥ 24 weeks for moderate to severe psoriasis.

Methods. In the Russian Federation, CRYSTAL retrospective observational crossover study enrolled adult (18–75 years old) patients (n = 100) with moderate to severe psoriasis who received continuous systemic treatment for ≥ 24 weeks.

Results. For most patients (99.0%), their current treatment was monotherapy with a genetically engineered biological agent (GEBA) (96.0% of patients) or other systemic drugs (3.0% of patients); 1 patient received combination therapy. The average absolute PASI score was 3.4 ± 4.0 and 6.7 ± 9.6 in GEBA group and the group receiving other systemic drugs, respectively. Absolute PASI score of > 1, > 3, and > 5 was observed in 55.2%, 39.6%, and 28.1% of patients receiving GEBA, and in 66.7%, 66.7%, and 33.3% of patients receiving other systemic drugs. The average overall DLQI score was 2.6 ± 4.2.

Conclusion. A significant number of patients had low absolute PASI scores after continuous treatment for at least 24 weeks and good satisfaction with the therapy. However, only 21.0% of patients achieved regression of psoriatic lesions, and more than one-third of patients reported that the disease had an impact on their quality of life, which still indicated the need to improve treatment strategies in Russia to optimize outcomes in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis.