Psoriasis in Childbearing Age: A Real-Life, Retrospective, Single-Center Study on Anti-IL17 and IL-23 Agents

: Background: Psoriasis (PSO) involves about 1-3% of the population, and around 75% of women develop PSO before the age of 40. Official guidelines on the treatment of woman with anti-IL17 and anti-IL23 during this potential childbearing time are not currently available. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of biologic treatments in women of childbearing age. Methods: At the Dermatology Clinic of the University of Turin, Italy, 172 women aged 20-55 years underwent IL-17 and IL-23 inhibitor therapy for moderate-severe PSO and were followed up to 52 weeks in a real-life, retrospective, single-center study. Results: Overall, 40% of patients achieved PASI 100 at week 16, and 72% at week 52. A similar trend was observed for PASI 90 and PASI < 3 with almost 80% and 90% of patients achieving the target at 52 weeks. As for PASI 100, a statistically significant difference (p = 0.004) was found at 16 weeks, with 23.84% of patients achieving PASI 100, with IL-17 and 15.70% with the IL-23 inhibitor. No statistically significant differences were found at 28 and 52 weeks. No statistically significant differences in PASIs at any time points were recorded across the different biologic agents. Forty-six patients discontinued treatment. The most reported side effects were headache, nausea, asthenia, injection site pain, and rhinitis. Conclusions: This study showed that biologic drugs are effective and safe in women of childbearing age, with negligible side effects.