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Background Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Patients with autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs) are often exposed to chronic glucocorticoid (GC) treatment with many side effects. Glucocorticoid‐induced myopathy (GIM) is a well‐established side effect, which particularly affects the proximal muscles. The Glucocorticoid Toxicity Index (GTI) is a validated global assessment tool which quantifies GC toxicity over time.This study marks the first study which analyses GIM in patients with AIBDs. The objectives of this study were to utilize the GTI to investigate the nature and prevalence of GIM in AIBD patients and explore potential risk factors.This international cohort study was conducted in blistering disease clinics across Australia, China, Greece, Iran, Japan, the Philippines, Turkey and the United States of America between February 2019 and July 2023. The GTI tool was completed by a medical practitioner at each patient visit. Data related to glucocorticoid toxicity were entered into the Steritas GTI 2.0 to generate an aggregate improvement and cumulative worsening score at each visit.The study included 139 patients. There were 132 episodes of myopathy, and 47.5% of patients developed muscle weakness at some point during the study period. Cumulative GC dose correlated positively with myopathy risk, while average dose and treatment duration were not significant. Older age, male gender and obesity more than doubled the likelihood of developing GIM.GIM is a common side effect experienced by AIBD patients on GC treatment. Muscle weakness is less likely to occur if cumulative GC dose is less than 0.75 mg/kg/day. Studies of exercise programs to mitigate myopathy and newer alternative treatments to reduce cumulative GC dose should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The introduction of Janus Kinase inhibitors (JAKi) seems to revolutionize the field of alopecia areata (AA) therapeutics. However, real-world data are still missing., Objectives: To provide evidence about effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib and baricitinib in AA in real-world settings and describe baseline disease characteristics and patients profiles that are considered good candidates for JAKi in the daily practice. Furthermore, we intended to investigate potential correlations between baseline characteristics and treatment outcomes., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the databases of two tertiary Hospitals in Greece, to identify individuals of any age currently being treated with systemic JAKi for severe AA., Results: We identified 42 individuals, including 3 adolescents. In our cohort, 52.3% (22/42) were under tofacitinib and 47.6% (20/42) under baricitinib treatment. Efficacy analysis was performed on the subgroup of 30 patients that had completed at least a 3-month follow-up on treatment. In the latter group, mean time on treatment was 10 months. Mean Severity of Alopecia Tool and mean Dermatology Life Quality Index scores decreased from 84.46% and 12.86 at baseline, to 43.26% and 6.63, respectively. Complete response (CR) was recorded in 4 (13.33%), partial in 12 (40%) and no response in 14 patients (46.66%), correspondingly. Seventeen out of 42 (40.5%) individuals in total, reported at least 1 adverse event. No patient required hospitalization. Among 15 patients (35.7%) who got COVID-19, one suffered from serious infection. The 3 adolescents achieved CR with no significant adverse events., Conclusions: Real-world data suggest efficacy and safety of JAKi in severe forms of AA. Tolerability is optimal in younger individuals.

Objective: To assess the real-world clinical treatment outcomes with brodalumab in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in Greece., Materials and Methods: This was a longitudinal, retrospective, real-world analysis of data from medical records of 106 patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, treated with brodalumab for up to 24 months at four University Dermatology Centers in Greece. Efficacy assessments of psoriasis severity [Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Body Surface Area affected (BSA) scores] and its impact on patients' quality of life (QoL) [Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score] were evaluated at different timepoints up to 24 months., Results: Treatment with brodalumab reduced both mean PASI (14.0-1.5, p  < .001) and BSA scores (21.6-2.5, p  < .001) across all visits. This effect was accompanied by reduction in mean DLQI score (12.8-2.1, p  < .001) across all visits compared with baseline. Moreover, therapeutic efficacy was affected by prior biologic treatment exposure, as biologic naïve patients had greater reductions in all scores from baseline following treatment with brodalumab (numerical for mean PASI, significant for mean BSA and DLQI scores)., Conclusion: Brodalumab is effective long term, improving disease severity and health-related QoL in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in a real-world setting.