A Case of Guttate Psoriasis after Treatment with IFN-alpha / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Psoriasis is considered to be an autoimmune disease of abnormal keratinocyte proliferation induced by T lymphocytes. An association with several cytokines has been suggested. Interferon (IFN) is a cytokine secreted by virus-infected cells and has the ability to prevent further infection of cells that were exposed to it. It has therefore been used as a therapeutic agent for many chronic viral diseases such as chronic hepatitis C. Recently, however, IFN has also been considered to be a triggering factor in the development of psoriasis. We describe an 18-year-old woman presenting with guttate psoriasis, who suffered soft tissue sarcoma and underwent chemotherapy containing IFN-alpha. This is possibly the first case of guttate psoriasis associated with IFN-alpha in the Korean literature.