Patient reported outcomes in early vs late diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis

Abstract

IntroductionPsoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can lead to a reduction of function and quality of life. Early diagnosis could be important to prevent damage and improve patient-reported outcomes (PROs), such as pain and disease consequences. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in the PROs in PsA patients with early diagnosis of PsA with respect to patients with late diagnosis. Methodology and methodsIn this cross-sectional analysis of a longitudinal cohort, patients with PsA receiving treatment with conventional and/or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for at least 6 months were recruited.Patients with less than 2 years of disease duration prior to their diagnosis were identified as having early PsA. Clinical, demographic, and disease activity data, as well as different PROs (including PtGA, pain VAS, PASS, HAQ-DI, and PSAID-12) were obtained at the last visit in our unit. ResultsOf 135 patients with complete data, 49 had an early diagnosis (<2 years from symptom onset) and 86 had a late diagnosis (>2 years). No differences were found between groups in terms of PtGA, VAS pain, PASS, and PSAID-12. However, HAQ-DI was found to be significantly higher, [median (IQR): .5 (.125–1) in late-diagnosis patients compared to patients with early diagnosis [median (IQR): .3 (0–.5)]. ConclusionOur findings suggest that early diagnosis of PsA patients may have a major impact primarily on their function and quality of life.