Dialysis therapy for psoriasis. Report of three cases and review of the literature.

Three patients with psoriasis, who were resistant to all modes of accepted therapy, underwent 32 hours of peritoneal dialysis weekly for ten weeks. In two patients, there was a clearing of 80% of the psoriatic lesions after completion of therapy. In one of these patients, there was a recurrence of the lesions two months later, but the other patient is still in relative remission after 12 months. The third patient had clearing of 50% of the lesions, but there was recurrence two months after cessation of treatment. This experience as well as a review of the literature indicates that dialysis may have a positive effect on psoriasis and that the effect obtained is more prominent with peritoneal dialysis than with hemodialysis.