Successful Treatment of Severe Subcorneal Pustular Dermatosis with Adalimumab

Abstract

Subcorneal pustular dermatosis (SPD) is a rare, chronic pustular dermatosis. The pathogenesis of SPD has not been fully elucidated, but some studies have found that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α may be associated with its pathogenesis. Some patients with multidrug-resistant SPD have improved significantly after treatment with the anti-TNF-α agent (adalimumab). We present a case of a 28-year-old female with severe SPD who responded rapidly to adalimumab (80mg/week) in combination with acitretin and methylprednisolone within a week. With adalimumab (40 mg next week and followed by 40mg every two weeks) and gradually ceasing other systemic medication, the patient’s condition continued to improve without relapse or side effects. The outcome of this case suggests that adalimumab might be an effective treatment option against multidrug-resistant SPD.

Keywords:

• subcorneal pustular dermatosis
• anti-TNF-α agent
• adalimumab

Ethics Statement

The patient gave written informed consent for publication of clinical information and photographs. No ethical committee approval was required because the data were analyzed in a retrospective manner.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (202002030474).