Understanding GPP
WHAT IS GPP?
Generalised Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) is a severe and potentially life-threatening neutrophilic skin disease characterised by episodes of widespread eruption of sterile, macroscopically visible pustules that occurs frequently with systemic inflammation.1 GPP can occur with or without plaque psoriasis, and the concurrence rates of up to 54.4% have been reported in GPP patients in the UK/Ireland.2
LEARN ABOUT GPP: WHAT'S IN A NAME
(A) |
(B) |
Microscopic and macroscopic features of GPP. Histopathology of psoriasis. (A) Psoriasis vulgaris characteristically shows acanthosis, parakeratosis, and dermal inflammatory infiltrates. (B) In pustular psoriasis, acanthotic changes are accompanied by epidermal predominantly neutrophilic infiltrates, which cause pustule formation. (Reproduced from “Psoriasis Pathogenesis and Treatment” by Adriana Rendon and Knut Schäkel [Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019; 20:1475; http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms20061475] licensed under CC-BY 4.0).
WHAT TRIGGERS GPP?
Recognising what triggers flares early may help you manage your patients' disease. GPP can be triggered by4-7:
SUNLIGHT
UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS
CERTAIN MEDICATIONS
SUDDEN WITHDRAWAL OF STEROIDS
STRESS
INFECTION
PREGNANCY
PAIN
WHAT COMORBIDITIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH GPP?
Comorbidities may include6-8:
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Diabetes
- Hyperlipidemia
- Obesity
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- Anxiety
- Depression
WHAT COMORBIDITIES ARE ASSSOCIATED WITH GPP?
REFERENCES
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Navarini AA, Burden AD, Capon F, et al; for the ERASPEN Network. European consensus statement on phenotypes of pustular psoriasis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2017;31(11):1792-1799. doi:10.1111/jdv.14386
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Twelves S, Mostafa A, Dand N et al. Clinical and genetic differences between pustular psoriasis subtypes. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2019 Mar;143(3):1021-1026. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2018.06.038
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Bachelez H. Pustular psoriasis: the dawn of a new era. Acta Derm Venereol. 2020;100(3):adv00034. doi:10.2340/00015555-3388
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Strober B, Kotowsky N, Medeiros R, et al. Unmet medical needs in the treatment and management of generalized pustular psoriasis flares: evidence from a survey of Corrona registry dermatologists. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2021;11(2):529-541. doi:10.1007/s13555-021-00493-0
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Skalicky A, Rentz A, Esser D, Thoma C, Gloede T. Symptom experience of patients with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP). Value in Health. 2020;23(suppl 1):S345. Abstract: PRO89. doi:10.1016/j.jval.2020.04.1310
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Choon SE, Lai NM, Mohammad NA, Nanu NM, Tey KE, Chew SF. Clinical profile, morbidity, and outcome of adult-onset generalized pustular psoriasis: analysis of 102 cases seen in a tertiary hospital in Johor, Malaysia. Int J Dermatol. 2014;53(6):676-684. doi:10.1111/ijd.12070
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Kharawala S, Golembesky AK, Bohn RL, Esser D. The clinical, humanistic, and economic burden of generalized pustular psoriasis: a structured review. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2020;16(3):239-252. doi:10.1080/1744666X.2019.1708193
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Prinz JC, Choon SE, Griffiths CEM et al. Prevalence, comorbidities and mortality of generalized pustular psoriasis: A literature review. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2023 Feb;37(2):256-273. doi: 10.1111/jdv.18720
SC-GB-01617, May 2023