Outcome of cutaneous psoriasis in hepatitis C virus-infected patients treated with Direct-Acting Antiviral therapy

Apart from chronic liver disease, hepatitis C virus (HCV) may be responsible for several extra-hepatic manifestations. Its involvement in psoriasis development is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effect of anti-HCV direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment on cutaneous psoriasis. Thirty-seven consecutive HCV patients with cutaneous psoriasis underwent efficacious DAA treatment, and all of them were efficiently cured as shown by HCV RNA negativity 24 weeks after stopping therapy (PT24W). An expert dermatologist evaluated the skin lesions at baseline, end of treatment (EOT) and PT24W using the psoriasis area severity index (PASI) scoring system. The impact on quality of life was measured with the Dermatologic Quality of Life Index (DLQI). Six patients had a stable disease throughout the study period, whereas 31/37 patients (83.8%) showed a significant improvement of the skin lesions at EOT (P <.0001). However, 24 of these 31 patients (77.4%) had a dramatic worsening of the psoriatic lesions at PT24W compared with EOT (P <.001), with lesion severity comparable to baseline. The outcome of psoriasis during and after treatment was independent of baseline PASI score, age, sex, HCV genotype, liver disease stage and of the presence of arterial hypertension, diabetes and autoimmune diseases. In conclusion, DAA-based HCV cure has only a transient effect on skin lesions of patients with concomitant cutaneous psoriasis.