Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a rare, severe, chronic neutrophilic skin disease involving the interleukin-36 (IL-36) pathway.

The main objective of the SCRIPTOR international non-interventional study was to describe sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of GPP. This paper focuses on data collected from participating French centers.

Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of GPP between 2011 and 2022 were selected by dermatologists from 21 French hospitals. The clinical parameters evaluated included cutaneous and extracutaneous symptoms, and GPP flares in terms of number, duration, and impact. Secondary objectives included the description of treatment patterns.

The analysis included 103 patients. The median age at diagnosis was 59 years. Median follow-up duration was 5 (1 to 11) years . Plaque psoriasis was reported in 48 % of patients. The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (43 %), diabetes (25 %), dyslipidemia (17 %) and obesity (14 %). Forty-one patients (40 %) experienced flares. The median number of flares per patient was 2 and the median (min–max) duration of episodes was 19 (0–206) days. Treatments mainly included topical steroids and retinoids. Biological therapies were used in less than 10 % of patients at baseline. One death due to septic shock was related to GPP.

This is the largest French chart review study of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of GPP. The nature and prevalence of comorbidities, the length of flare episodes and the number of hospitalizations illustrate the burden of GPP. This study confirms that the impact of GPP should not be underestimated and supports the important need for targeted therapies.