A critical practice gap exists in identifying the causes of psoriasis flares, especially medication-related causes. Some physicians may not consistently examine medications for their contribution to psoriasis flares. However, a careful consideration of the role of medications in psoriasis exacerbation may improve long-term psoriasis control.
Several factors are important in evaluating the role of medications in psoriasis flares: (1) medications can exacerbate preexisting psoriasis and/or induce psoriasis on clinically uninvolved skin in patients with psoriasis (the incidence of psoriasis exacerbation is generally greater than that of psoriasis induction); (2) the strength of evidence linking different medications with psoriasis flares varies considerably; and (3) the latency period between drug ingestion and psoriasis flares varies among medications and can be much lengthier for certain medications.