Incidence of new-onset and flare of preexisting psoriasis during rituximab therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: data from the French AIR registry.

Objective: Psoriasis could be a paradoxical reaction to tumor necrosis factor-α antagonist therapy and it has been reported with rituximab therapy. Our objective was to assess the rates of new-onset and flare of preexisting psoriasis in patients taking rituximab for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: The nationwide multicenter prospective AutoImmunity and Rituximab (AIR) registry was set up in 2006 by the French Society for Rheumatology to collect data on patients taking rituximab for joint diseases.