Treatment of severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with adalimumab in an HIV-positive patient

Psoriasis in HIV-infected patients poses a distinct challenge to the dermatologist due to its increased severity, tendency to be refractory to common treatment modalities, and necessity for cautious use of immunosuppressive agents. Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors have been shown to be safe and effective for the treatment of psoriasis in the general population, but their role in the treatment of HIV-positive patients is still unclear. The use of the tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor adalimumab for the treatment of psoriasis in HIV-positive patients has yet to be reported. We present the case of a 49-year-old HIV-positive man with severe plaque psoriasis who has been successfully treated with adalimumab for the past 30 months with no adverse events related to treatment.