Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) Awareness Day Date in the current year: August 13, 2026

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by the excessive and rapid growth of the outermost layer of the skin (the epidermis), which causes abnormal skin patches to form. Depending on the appearance and distribution of these patches, there are five main types of psoriasis: plaque, guttate, inverse, pustular, and erythrodermic.

In individuals with pustular psoriasis, abnormal skin patches take the form of sterile pustules, which are small, raised lesions filled with pus consisting of inflammatory cells, fluid, and cellular debris. Depending on where these pustules appear, pustular psoriasis is classified as either localized or generalized. Localized pustular psoriasis affects specific regions of the body, while generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) usually covers large areas or even the entire body.

GPP usually develops suddenly in adulthood, though it can affect children as well. The appearance of pustules on large areas of the body may be accompanied by fatigue, headaches, nausea, joint pain, muscle weakness, fever, chills, tachycardia, and intense itching. A flare may last for a few weeks and is often followed by spontaneous remission, during which the skin may clear up partially or completely. Many patients with GPP also have plaque psoriasis, though having other forms of psoriasis is not a prerequisite for GPP.

The most common triggers of GPP flares are stress, infection, withdrawal from corticosteroid treatment in patients with other forms of psoriasis, certain medications, and pregnancy, which can cause a form of GPP called impetigo herpetiformis, also known as pustular psoriasis of pregnancy.

GPP flares are not merely highly uncomfortable; they can be dangerous, even life-threatening, due to complications such as severe fluid and electrolyte loss, sudden drops in blood pressure, respiratory distress, heart failure, and multi-organ dysfunction. Severe cases often require hospitalization because GPP can become a medical emergency.

There is no known cure for GPP or psoriasis in general; treatment focuses on managing flares and preventing complications. Management usually includes medication to suppress inflammation and an abnormal immune response, as well as supportive treatment for symptoms and complications such as fever, pain, fluid and electrolyte loss, and infections. In recent years, medications that specifically target GPP have been developed, such as spesolimab.

Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Awareness Day (GPP Awareness Day) was launched in 2025 by the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to people affected by psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, in partnership with the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The main goal of the awareness day is to raise awareness of GPP among healthcare providers and support those living with the condition.