A cohort of dermatologists reported using ultraviolet B as the most common treatment of psoriasis in healthy adult men and women, according to results of a recent survey.
The trial was conducted to assess what therapy dermatologists are likely to select for first-line treatment of psoriasis, and why they select that therapy.
The researchers surveyed 1,000 US dermatologists who treat psoriasis, 500 of whom were National Psoriasis Foundation members and 500 of whom were American Academy of Dermatology association members. The survey contained a series of patient vignettes about the treatment of healthy adults of childbearing age with moderate to severe psoriasis.
There were 387 responses evaluated in the final analysis.
For male patients, preferred therapies included ultraviolet B (40%), etanercept (15%), methotrexate (16%) and adalimumab (12%). The same therapies were preferred for female patients, with ultraviolet being used in 56% of patients, etanercept in 19%, adalimumab in 10%, and methotrexate in 4%.
Sixty-six percent of respondents administered phototherapy in their practice.
In an analysis that adjusted for all physician characteristics, physicians who used ultraviolet B as first-line treatment in male or female patients were significantly more likely to have phototherapy in their practice (OR=3.4; 95% CI, 1.8-6.6 for male patients and OR=2.8; 95% CI, 1.5-5.3 for female patients). Physicians who primarily used ultraviolet B also were more likely to have used the treatment in more than 10 patients in the last 3 months (OR=8.0; 95% CI 3.9-16.4 for males and OR=9.6; 95% CI, 4.3-21.6 for females).
Dermatologists in the Northeast were less likely than their counterparts in the Midwest to choose adalimumab as first-line therapy for both their male and female patients.
“[Ultraviolet B] is most commonly preferred as a first-line treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis in healthy adults, and preferences vary based on region, phototherapy availability, and prior treatment use,” the researchers concluded.