Psoriasis: To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease characterized by red, dry, itchy, and scaly patches of abnormal skin growth on the elbows, knees, and/or scalp, which can negatively impact a patient’s quality of life and activities of daily living. Both genetic predispositions and environmental factors, which can vary in susceptibility and effect, including infection, stress, medications, and cold temperatures, can lead to the onset of psoriasis and progression of the condition. This review aims to highlight recent advances in understanding the pathophysiology of psoriasis and provide insight into the importance of vaccinations and their role in reducing the risk of infection in psoriasis patients. Vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of infection in psoriasis patients and those with other autoimmune diseases.( )Still, vaccination remains limited among autoimmune disease patients.( )Awareness of the benefits of vaccination needs to be raised among healthcare professionals due to the overarching impact on these patients’ lives. The focus of this literature review is to examine the existing data to determine whether vaccination is beneficial for psoriasis patients. Herein, we primarily focus on influenza, pneumococcal, and herpes zoster vaccines and whether immunization benefits or adversely affects psoriasis patients. Overall, we found that most psoriasis and vaccine literature support immunization of this patient population, particularly with non-live attenuated vaccines; however, more studies are needed to fully develop a vaccine recommendation schedule for psoriasis patients.