The following is a summary of “Etanercept versus Methotrexate in the Treatment of Psoriasis and Associated Metabolic Syndrome: 12 Months Open-Label Comparative Study,” published in the July 2024 issue of Dermatology by Dhaher et al.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease causing systemic damage and multiple comorbidities like metabolic syndrome, with conventional treatments being toxic and burdensome.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study comparing the effectiveness of etanercept (ETN) monotherapy with methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy.
They included 117 patients with psoriasis who were randomized into 2 groups. The first group consisted of 42 patients, including 32 males (67.2%) and 10 females (23.8%), who received MTX treatment. The second group included 75 patients, 54 males (72%) and 21 females (28%), who were treated with ETN. Comprehensive laboratory investigations were conducted, and participants’ BMI and skin disease severity were assessed using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI). The reduction of 75% of the skin lesions (PASI 75) was calculated for all participants.
The result showed no significant changes in BMI or BP were observed after 12 weeks in the group with MTX. Although a reduction in FBS, TSC, LDL, TRIG, ESR, CRP, and PASI values was observed, the changes were not statistically significant. A total of 10 patients (23.8%) achieved PASI 75. Similarly, in the group with ETN, reductions were observed in all components of metabolic syndrome, inflammatory markers, and PASI, except for BMI and systolic and diastolic BP, with the reductions statistically significant. Only 60 patients (80%) achieved PASI 75.
Investigators concluded that ETN monotherapy outperformed MTX monotherapy in reducing PASI scores, achieving PASI 75, and improving most metabolic syndrome components, except for BMI, after 12 weeks in patients with plaque-type psoriasis.
