Clinical and laboratory characteristics of psoriatic arthritis in a cohort of Egyptian patients

Abstract

Aim of the workTo detect the clinical and laboratory characteristics of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in sample of Egyptian population. Patients and methods100 PsA patients were subjected to full medical history, full clinical, musculoskeletal and dermatological examination, routine laboratory investigations and assessment of disease severity. ResultsAmong 100 PsA patients, 79 females and 21 males. The mean age was 44.4 ± 12.9 years. 21% of patients had hypertension, 11% had diabetes and 4% hepatitis C-virus. 14% had family history of other rheumatologic disease. 66% of patients experienced psoriasis onset with mean latency; 11.6 ± 8.2 years, 20% had dual onset of both diseases and 10% experienced PsA first with mean latency 3.6 ± 3.5 years. 86% of the patients had enthesitis, 41% had dactylitis, 39% had axial affection and 18% of patients had uveitis. 90% of patients had current psoriasis and 89% of them had current nail lesion. The most common drug was methotrexate. 38% of patients had axial spondyloarthritis, 33% had symmetric polyarthritis,26% had asymmetric oligoarthritis, and 3% had predominant distal inter-phalangeal (DIP) involvement. The mean value for serum hemoglobin was 12.1 ± 8.21.6 g/dl, platelets; 278.4 ± 90.3 x103/mm3, the white blood cells 7.2 ± 2.2 x103/mm3, C-reactive protein was 10.9 ± 10.1 mg/dl and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 49.3 ± 27.5 mm/1st hr. 92% of patients were negative for rheumatoid factor. ConclusionAmong the cohort of Egyptian patients, most had axial spondyloarthritis, followed by symmetric polyarthritis and asymmetric oligoarthritis. The least frequent was predominant DIP involvement. The onset of psoriasis precedes arthritis and methotrexate was the most common therapy.