The Palmoplantar Psoriasis Global Assessment (PPPGA) is a physician-administered tool used to assess the severity of palmoplantar psoriasis, primarily affecting the hands and feet. This evaluation is essential in determining treatment approaches and monitoring the disease’s impact on a patient’s quality of life.
The PPPGA rates psoriasis severity on a scale from 0 to 4 based on erythema (redness), scaling, and the presence of pustules and fissures:
Reference
Apremilast, An Oral Phosphodiesterase-4 Inhibitor, in the Treatment of Palmoplantar Psoriasis: Results of a Pooled Analysis from Phase II PSOR-005 and Phase III ESTEEM Clinical Trials in Patients with Moderate to Severe Psoriasis. Bissonnette R, Pariser DM, Wasel NR, et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2016;75:99-105.
IPC Councilor Helen Young provides commentary on a study identifying skin-derived myeloid precursors and CD200+ fibroblasts as key drivers of psoriatic disease spread from the skin to joints, highlighting the CD200–CD200R1 axis as a promising therapeutic target.
IPC Fellow Dr. Yemsrach Abawaji shares her firsthand perspective on the barriers to psoriasis diagnosis and treatment in Ethiopia and opportunities to improve care.
Did you miss the IPC symposium at the 83rd Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) Annual Meeting? Select session videos are now available. The Arc of Disease Control in Psoriasis: Early Interception – Deep Pathway Blockade – Treatment Failure covered early intervention strategies, treatment selection, immune pathway targeting, PsA prevention, clinical escape, and real-world cases that inform long-term psoriasis care.
Depression affects approximately 20% of patients with psoriasis, five times the rate seen in the general population. IPC Jr. Councilor Mio Nakamura, MD, MS, FAAD, walks through the bidirectional relationship between psoriasis and depression, the shared inflammatory pathways driving both conditions, and practical guidance on screening and incorporating multidisciplinary mental health support into psoriasis management.
