We present a rare and potential life-threathning case of a 58-year-old man who came in with pruritic skin lesions that were intensively painful, small erythematous pustules that were sterile and scaly, located on both upper and lower extremities and lower back that gradually increased and spread to the limbs, trunk, face and scalp, alongside he was with nail thickening, yellow and white nail discoloration and onycholysis. These symptoms had persisted for over 20 years with multiple recurrences at different times. Despite past treatments with conventional treatments, the patient’s symptoms worsened over time in several episodes. Initial lab results and clinical presentations were consistent with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) with nail psoriasis. The patient was initiated on Guselkumab (Tremfya), a subcutaneous IL-23 monoclonal antibody inhibitor, along with other medications for symptomatic relief. During a total of 10 visits within 18 months, the patient’s symptoms dramatically improved, with the nail psoriasis largely resolved with no rebound of symptoms, and the therapy was effectively tolerated with no negative side effects reported. This rare case demonstrates the efficacy of Guselkumab subcutaneous injection in the treatment of GPP and nail psoriasis, indicating that it could be an effective therapeutic choice in other cases like this.
Cite this paper
Mateme, J. P. N. , Alwi, F. A. , Wu, L. and Liu, J. (2025). Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Including Nail Psoriasis Successfully Treated with Gulsekumab: Case Report. Open Access Library Journal, 12, e13621. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1113621.
Armstrong, A.W., Elston, C.A., Elewski, B.E., Ferris, L.K., Gottlieb, A.B., Lebwohl, M.G., et al. (2024) Generalized Pustular Psoria-sis: A Consensus Statement from the National Psoriasis Foundation. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 90, 727-730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2023.09.080
Rivera-Díaz, R., Daudén, E., Carrascosa, J.M., Cueva, P.D.L. and Puig, L. (2023) Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: A Review on Clinical Characteristics, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Dermatology and Therapy, 13, 673-688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13555-022-00881-0
Yiu, Z.Z.N., Becher, G., Kirby, B., Laws, P., Reynolds, N.J., Smith, C.H., et al. (2022) Drug Survival Associated with Effectiveness and Safety of Treatment with Guselkumab, Ixekizumab, Secukinumab, Ustekinumab, and Adalimumab in Patients with Psoriasis. JAMA Dermatology, 158, 1131-1141. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2022.2909
Antony, A.S., Allard, A., Rambojun, A., Lovell, C.R., Shaddick, G., Robinson, G., et al. (2019) Psoriatic Nail Dystrophy Is Associated with Erosive Disease in the Distal Interphalangeal Joints in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Retrospective Cohort Study. The Journal of Rheumatology, 46, 1097-1102. https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.180796
Committee on Psoriasis and Chinese Society of Dermatology (2023) Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Psoriasis in China (2023 Edi-tion). Chinese Journal of Dermatology, 56, 573-625.
Brembilla, N.C. and Boehncke, W. (2023) Revis-iting the Interleukin 17 Family of Cytokines in Psoriasis: Pathogenesis and Potential Targets for Innovative Therapies. Frontiers in Immunology, 14, Article 1186455. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1186455
Sano, S., Kubo, H., Morishima, H., Goto, R., Zheng, R. and Nakagawa, H. (2018) Guselkumab, a Human Interleukin‐23 Monoclonal Antibody in Japanese Patients with Generalized Pustular Psoriasis and Erythrodermic Psoriasis: Efficacy and Safety Analyses of a 52‐Week, Phase 3, Multicenter, Open‐Label Study. The Journal of Dermatology, 45, 529-539. https://doi.org/10.1111/1346-8138.14294
Tillett, W., Egeberg, A., Sonkoly, E., Gorecki, P., Tjärnlund, A., Buyze, J., et al. (2023) Nail Psoriasis Dynamics during Biologic Treatment and Withdrawal in Patients with Psoriasis Who May Be at High Risk of Developing Psoriatic Arthritis: A Post Hoc Analysis of the VOYAGE 2 Randomized Trial. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 25, Article No. 169. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-03138-z
Dai, C. and Huang, Y.H. (2024) Infliximab-Induced Psoriasis in an Ulcerative Coli-tis patient Successfully Treated with Guselkumab. Revista espanola de enfermedades digestivas, 116, 176-177.
Campa, M., Mansouri, B., Warren, R. and Menter, A. (2016) A Review of Biologic Therapies Targeting IL-23 and IL-17 for Use in Moder-ate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis. Dermatology and Therapy, 6, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13555-015-0092-3
Germán, B., Wei, R.C., Hener, P., et al. (2019) Disrupting the IL-36 and IL-23/IL-17 Loop Underlies the Efficacy of Calcipotriol and Corticosteroid Therapy for Psoriasis.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6413797/
Goldstein, J.D., Bassoy, E.Y., Caruso, A., et al. (2020) IL-36 Signaling in Keratinocytes Controls Early IL-23 Production in Psoriasis-Like Dermatitis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7190273/
Parigi, T.L., Iacucci, M. and Ghosh, S. (2022) Blockade of IL-23: What is in the Pipeline? Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, 16, ii64-ii72.https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/16/Supplement_2/ii64/6584458
Ahmad, F., Alam, M.A., Ansari, A.W., et al. (2024) Emerging Role of the IL-36/IL-36R Axis in Multiple Inflammatory Skin Diseases. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 144, 206-224.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X23031147
Krueger, J.G., Eyerich, K., Kuchroo, V.K., et al. (2024) IL-23 Past, Present, and Future: A Roadmap to Advancing IL-23 Science and Thera-py.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1331217/full
Mizumaki, K., Horii, M., Kano, M., Komuro, A., et al. (2021) Suppression of IL-23-Mediated Psoriasis-Like Inflammation by Regulatory B Cells. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81588-8
Bridgewood, C., Fearnley, G.W., Berekmeri, A., et al. (2018) IL-36γ Is a Strong Inducer of IL-23 in Psoriatic Cells and Activates Angiogene-sis.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00200/full
Murakami, M. (2020) Guselkumab for the Treatment of Palmoplantar Pustulosis. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 20, 841-852. https://doi.org/10.1080/14712598.2020.1760244
Anders, H.J., Chan, T.M., Sanchez-Guerrero, J., Wofsy, D., et al. (2025) Efficacy and Safety of Guselkumab in Patients with Active Lupus Nephritis: Results from a Phase 2, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. Rheumatology, 64, 2731-2740.https://academic.oup.com/rheumatology/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/rheumatology/keae647/60933585/keae647.pdf
Camela, E., Potestio, L., Fabbrocini, G. and Megna, M. (2022) Paradoxical Reactions to Biologicals for Psoriasis. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 22, 1435-1437.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14712598.2022.2153593