Abstract: Objective: To assess the efficacy of thalidomide in the treatment of the patients with psoriasis arthropathica and to determine the influence on the level of serum VEGF. Methods: Thirty patients with psoriasis arthropathica were treated with oral thalidomide, 150mg, once daily for 12 weeks. The efficacy of treatment was assessed by PASI scores and arthritis scoring method．The level of VEGF in the patients were detected by ELISA before and after treatment．Results: The skin lesion and arthritis were significantly improved after treatment. The serum level of VEGF after treatment was (578.38±169.05) pg/L, which was significantly lower than that before the treatment (1045.56±289.28pg/L). Conclusion: Thalidomide is effective in the treatment of psoriasis arthropathica and the mechanism may be through inhibiting the expression of VEGF.

Key words: psoriasis, thalidomide, VEGF