Risks and Benefits of the Treatment of Psoriasis

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Abstract
Psoriasis is a chronic cutaneous disorder of unknown cause that afflicts at least 2 per cent of the population of the United States. The manifestations of psoriasis range from a few localized lesions to a generalized exfoliative erythroderma; the consequences of the disease vary from inconvenience to disablement. Epidermal proliferation with rapid cell turnover is a primary feature, so that therapies that inhibit cell division are used. Among these therapies photochemotherapy has been the treatment of choice since its introduction by Goeckerman in 1925.1 Initially, ultraviolet light in the short (290 to 320 nm) range was employed, along with crude . . .