Alcoholism linked to poor treatment response in patients, says Study

According to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology, alcohol consumption is linked to poor treatment response in psoriasis patients.
Apart from high body weight, variables that may impact response to systemic therapy for moderate-to-severe psoriasis are varied and usually poorly understood, suggesting that additional undiscovered factors may be significant in predicting treatment response. The effect of alcohol abuse on treatment response has never been studied before.

A group of researchers from the United Kingdom undertook a study to see if alcohol abuse is linked to poor psoriasis treatment response.
The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index was used to measure response to systemic treatments in this prospective cohort research (PASI).
The CAGE questionnaire (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener) was used to test for alcohol abuse.
The variables associated with a change in PASI between baseline and follow-up were investigated using a multivariable factional polynomial linear regression model.

The results of the study are as follows:

• The cohort comprised 266 patients.
• For the entire cohort, the median PASI improved from 13 at baseline to 3 during follow-up.
• A higher CAGE score;obesity;and receiving a conventional systemic rather than a biologic therapy was significantly associated with poor response to treatment;whereas a higher baseline PASI was associated with a better response to treatment.

Thus, the researchers concluded that the poor response to therapy associated with alcohol misuse and obesity found in people with psoriasis calls for lifestyle behaviour change interventions and support as part of routine clinical care.Targeting interventions to prevent, detect and manage alcohol misuse among people with psoriasis is needed to minimize adverse health consequences and improve treatment response.