Psoriasis Blog

Recently revealed on the Keeping Up With the Kardashians TV show: Celebrity Kim Kardashian has psoriasis. She and her sister initially guessed it might be ringworm until a dermatologist diagnosed it correctly. Kim was shocked.

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, Kardashian said "I'd heard of psoriasis before because my mom has always had it, but she didn't have red flaky dots all over her," says Kim, 30, about her psoriasis.

Read more to find out if psoriasis is generally considered a genetic disorder.

The FDA has issued a safety alert for some vials of methotrexate, which may contain small flakes of glass. Sandoz is recalling the following products:

Product : Methotrexate Injection, USP, 50mg/2mL
NDC Number : 66758-040-02 (10 vial pack) and 66758-040-01 (Individual vial)

Product : Methotrexate Injection, USP, 250mg/10mL
NDC Number : 66758-040-08 (10 vial pack) and 66758-040-07 (Individual vial)

If you have one of the affected vials, call the dedicated Methotrexate Recall Hotline at 1-888-896-4565 (staffed around the clock) or email Sandoz.methotrexaterecall@gencopharma.com. If you have already used some of the methotrexate and have experienced any side effects that you think might be related to the recall, contact your doctor right away.

Country singer LeAnn Rimes has suffered from psoriasis since she was two-years-old. Her psoriasis got so bad, she started bleeding on stage during a performance.

Her battle with psoriasis is why she recently signed on to be the spokeswoman for the Stop Hiding Behind Psoriasis Campaign that is sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology and National Psoriasis Foundation.

The campaign is urging people with psoriasis to pledge to get involved in their disease, including making a commitment to find a good dermatologist, find support and tell their story.

According to the campaign, almost 7 million Americans have psoriasis.

A new option in the fight against psoriasis -- Stelara (ustekinumab). The FDA -- after two long years of talks -- has approved the use of this drug for psoriasis patients who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic treatment, reports MedPage Today. It is to be used for moderate to severe cases. In trials, patients who followed the regimen recommended were able to achieve significantly clear skin for about a year. This is an injectible drug.  A few heads up before you talk to your doctor and seek Stelara -- use may cause the immunosupression, and you'll need a TB test before starting to use it.

Raptiva (efalixumab), a well-know biologic, will no longer be available, according to a press release published by manufacturer Genentech last week.

Genentech is voluntarily pulling the drug from the market in the United States because of, "an increased risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare and usually fatal disease of the central nervous system." This will occur in phases, so that doctors have time to safely transition patients to an alternative.

If you're on Raptiva, don't stop taking the medication on your own. Doing so may cause a flare-up, so be sure to contact your healthcare provider to determine your next best steps. Your doctor may recommend that you transition to another biologic psoriasis drug, such as Amevive, Enbrel, Humira or Remicade.

The consensus statement recommends that two groups of psoriasis patients be evaluated for vascular disease: those with moderate to severe psoriasis; and those with mild psoriasis plus a recognized risk factor for vascular disease such as abdominal obesity or hypertension.