Jerry Bagel, MD: Starting the Treatment Process for Plaque Psoriasis

With most cases of plaque psoriasis being diagnosed in adolescence the treatment and diagnosis can be a delicate process, especially when parents are involved.

In an interview with MD Magazine, Jerry Bagel, MD, of the Psoriasis Treatment Center of Central New Jersey, said that phototherapy works well for psoriasis, but it requires 12 weeks of treatment.

Also, it does not help if the patient has psoriasis of the scalp, or other places such as the groin where light treatments might not work as well. In those cases, a biologic treatment might be the next best option. Adverse events, depending on the treatment, could include Bell’s Palsy. Or for example if someone has hepatitis C or Crohn’s disease, you could opt for another avenue of treatment. “You need to clearly know the adverse event profile of the individual,” Bagel said, as well as their susceptibility to infection.