INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE: Psoriasis and Obesity: Optimizing Pharmacologic Treatment and Lifestyle Interventions

Obesity is a metabolic disease that is marked by excessive fat accumulation and is objectively defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m². Obesity is associated with several other comorbidities, including psoriasis, which is a chronic autoimmune skin disease. Adipocytes produce pro-inflammatory signaling molecules, namely adipokines and classic cytokines, that drive increased inflammation axnd may contribute to the pro-inflammatory pathways driving psoriasis disease pathogenesis. Optimizing dermatologic management of obese patients with psoriasis may be challenging due to the effect of comorbid obesity on the pharmacokinetics of systemic therapies. Biologic therapy is a mainstay of psoriasis treatment in these patients. The IL-17 and IL-23 inhibitor classes, including those targeting the IL-17 receptor (brodalumab), IL-17 cytokine antagonists (secukinumab, ixekizumab, bimekizumab), and IL-23 cytokine antagonists (guselkumab, risankizumab, tildrakizumab). In general, the most efficacious biologics that work well for generalized plaque psoriasis also tend to work well for most obese psoriasis patients. For example, brodalumab, an IL-17 receptor inhibitor, demonstrated comparable efficacy across BMI categories in both clinical trial and real-world practice data. In addition to psoriasis-specific therapy, interventions targeted at weight loss may help treat obesity and decrease psoriasis disease severity. These interventions include glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist therapy, caloric restriction, and different forms of bariatric surgery. Clinical trials and real-world data evaluating the efficacy of different biologic treatments and weight-loss interventions in the treatment of obese psoriasis patients should be used to support clinical decision-making for treatment options.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2025;24:1(Suppl 1):s4-14.