Psoriasis Psoriatic Arthritis Research Articles

Successful Screening of Undiagnosed Psoriatic Arthritis in Primary Care Utilising Digital Interventions Within a Quality Improvement Programme

Background: Despite the advancements in the management of psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), there remains a significant delay to diagnosis of PsA. National guidelines recommend regular screening of patients with PsO for PsA. The aim of this study was to increase the screening of patients with PsO, and reduce the delay to diagnosis in PsA. Methods: A retrospective baseline audit was conducted in patients with PsO attending a large general practice (Brookside Group Practice, Reading, UK) between November 2022–April 2023. In the follow-up stage between May–November 2023, a digital Egton Medical Information System (EMIS; Emis Health, Rawdon, Leeds, UK) web template, using the Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST) questionnaire was implemented. The number of patients with PsO screened for PsA, and the number of newly diagnosed PsA cases, were recorded. Results: At baseline, 15 patients with PsO were identified, and none had PsA screening done. In the follow-up phase, 28 patients coded for PsO were identified. There was an increase in the number of patients screened for PsO from 15 to 28, representing an increase of 87% from baseline. From the follow-up group, 12 (43%) patients were screened for PsA. These patients were referred to the specialist clinic, and seven (58%) had confirmed PsA. This represented a population of patients with previously undiagnosed PsA within the general practitioner (GP) surgery. Conclusions: The authors have successfully implemented an integrated and interactive digital screening tool for PsA within the GP system. This has led to an increase in the detection of patients with PsA. This practical and effective approach is in line with national guidelines for early detection, to prevent long-term damage and disability from PsA.

Successful Screening of Undiagnosed Psoriatic Arthritis in Primary Care Utilising Digital Interventions Within a Quality Improvement Programme

Background: Despite the advancements in the management of psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), there remains a significant delay to diagnosis of PsA. National guidelines recommend regular screening of patients with PsO for PsA. The aim of this study was to increase the screening of patients with PsO, and reduce the delay to diagnosis in PsA. Methods: A retrospective baseline audit was conducted in patients with PsO attending a large general practice (Brookside Group Practice, Reading, UK) between November 2022–April 2023. In the follow-up stage between May–November 2023, a digital Egton Medical Information System (EMIS; Emis Health, Rawdon, Leeds, UK) web template, using the Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST) questionnaire was implemented. The number of patients with PsO screened for PsA, and the number of newly diagnosed PsA cases, were recorded. Results: At baseline, 15 patients with PsO were identified, and none had PsA screening done. In the follow-up phase, 28 patients coded for PsO were identified. There was an increase in the number of patients screened for PsO from 15 to 28, representing an increase of 87% from baseline. From the follow-up group, 12 (43%) patients were screened for PsA. These patients were referred to the specialist clinic, and seven (58%) had confirmed PsA. This represented a population of patients with previously undiagnosed PsA within the general practitioner (GP) surgery. Conclusions: The authors have successfully implemented an integrated and interactive digital screening tool for PsA within the GP system. This has led to an increase in the detection of patients with PsA. This practical and effective approach is in line with national guidelines for early detection, to prevent long-term damage and disability from PsA.

Identification of Psoriatic Arthritis in Patients With Psoriasis.

People with psoriasis (PsO) are at increased risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Screening patients with PsO for PsA may be helpful in diagnosing PsA early. Dermatologists play a role in assessing their patients with PsO for musculoskeletal symptoms and referring them to a rheumatologist for diagnosis and treatment.

Patient and learner experience in a new set up of a multidisciplinary dermatology-rheumatology clinic care model for psoriatic arthritis.

We described the set-up of a new multidisciplinary psoriatic arthritis-psoriasis (PsA-PsO) clinic incorporating service, education, and research between rheumatologists and dermatologists for PsA. We describe the patients' and learners' experience of this shared-care model. A PsA-PsO clinic was newly set up in 2019. Each patient was first seen by a trainee, followed by both a dermatologist and a rheumatologist simultaneously in the same consultation room. We collected patients' and learners' experience through self-administered surveys. From May 2019 to January 2020, we collected data from 44 visits (55% new referrals, 45% follow up) from 30 patients: 22.7% were referred for diagnostic doubts, 77.3% were for therapeutic issues. Eight of the 10 patients referred for diagnosis had PsA confirmed. Medication changes occurred in 63.6% of visits; 63.6% of patients continued follow up in the PsA-PsO clinic, and 36.4% were discharged back to the original respective care. The median (interquartile range) rating of patient satisfaction of the care was 8 (7-8) out of 10; 96.1% of patients would "probably" or "definitely recommend" the care to others. From 20 learners, 95% reported the experience as "extremely" or "very" beneficial to training. The PsA-PsO clinic was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic from February 2020 because of lack of available staff. The service was resumed gradually from May 2021. Despite challenges, we report the set-up of a new care model between dermatologists and rheumatologists for care of patients with psoriatic disease. The care model was well received by patients. Learners from various levels reported benefit from the learning experience.

Systemic evaluation of the relationship between psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and osteoporosis: observational and Mendelian randomisation study

Objectives and methodsWith 432 513 samples from UK Biobank dataset, multivariable linear/logistic regression were used to estimate the relationship between psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and estimated bone mineral density (eBMD)/osteoporosis, controlling...

Cardiovascular risk factors predicting cardiac events are different in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and psoriasis.

Increased cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is well established. Examining traditional cardiovascular risk factors alone underestimates cardiovascular risk in RA. Systematic inflammation, measured by erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein is also a major risk factor. However, the contribution of traditional cardiovascular risk factors (such as obesity and hyperlipidaemia) compared to inflammation is uncertain in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and RA. We examine the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) among patients with RA, PsA psoriasis, and controls adjusting for risk factors, inflammation and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug treatment, to better define cardiovascular risk. Using the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage databank, comprising routinely collected Welsh health data from 1999 to 2013, the incidence and first occurrence of a MACE in individuals with RA (n = 8650), PsA (n = 2128) and psoriasis (n = 24,630) compared to controls (n = 11,87,706) was investigated. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors are higher in RA, PsA and psoriasis than controls. After adjusting for these factors, additional cardiovascular risk was only significantly increased in female RA patients (HR = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.0-1.7; p = 0.05) and psoriasis (HR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.0-1.4; p = 0.02) but not statistically significant for PsA (HR = 1.5; 95% CI: 0.9-2.5; p = 0.13). ESR and CRP were increased in patients with RA but not in patients with psoriasis. Additional increased cardiovascular risk was observed in female RA and psoriasis but not PsA. Systematic inflammation is higher in RA but not psoriasis, indicating that there are varying mediators of cardiovascular risk across these conditions.

Screening of Patients with Psoriasis for Psoriatic Arthritis in the Slovak Republic

Abstract Global prevalence of psoriasis is ranging from 0.91 % to 8.5 % [1]. Exact numbers are missing for Slovakia. 1-5% range is the most probable while 2 % is also mentioned as an average prevalence for the European population. There is approximately 110 thousand patients suffering from psoriasis when extrapolating from total population of 5.5 million [2]. Extracutaneous manifestation is observed in 11–30 % of patients after years of solely skin symptoms presentation [3, 4, 5, 6]. Objective: To estimate prevalence of psoriatic arthritis among psoriatic patients population visiting dermatology out-patient irrelevant of the disease duration and the treatment regimen. To compare the sensitivity of both tests (ToPAS and PASE) used, evaluate possible PsA risk factors. Methods: This was a prospective, non-interventional, epidemiological, observational study conducted using a survey administered to psoriatic patients by their dermatologists. 10–20 consequent outpatients with psoriasis in each center in 43 regional dermatology officies were screened for the presence of extra-cutaneous symptoms (i.e. joint pain, enthesitis, dactylitis, nail involvement) using questionnaire, developed specificaly for this study, and by the PASE and ToPAS questionnaires. Patients without personal history of PsA and „positivity“ of PASE and/or ToPAS were sent to the center for confirmation / exclusion of the diagnosis by applying CASPAR criteria. Outcomes were statistically processed. Results: 177 (21.8 %) of total of 831 psoriatic patients had PsA. 9 of 177 (5.35 %) has been newly diagnosed. There was almost equal number of men (50.5 %) and women (49.5 %). Plaque psoriasis has been most frequent type – 76.9 %. 43.2 % of PsA patients reported the onset of the disease after 40 years of life. Time interval between onset of psoriasis and PsA has been less than 10 years in 20.2 %, 10–20 years in 20.8 % and more than 20 years in 16.1 %. Most frequent co-morbidity in the study population was hypertension 23.2 %, asthma 3 % and diabetes 2.4 %. Average value of BSA and PASI was higher in PsA vs. non-PsA group: 24 vs. 20 and 10 vs 9, respectively. The sensitivity (72.6 % vs 58.9 %, P=0.01) and specificity (81.3 % vs 80.5 %) of ToPAS was higher compared to PASE. Conclusion: 21.8 % PsA prevalence in psoriatic population in Slovakia is within the range observed in other studies. ToPAS test showed comparable results in terms of specificity, but significantly better results in terms of sensitivity and its early application should be of major importance because of the diagnostic process acceleration. The effect of an early diagnosis on the total patient outcome should be an objective of further research. This project was supported from educational grant of Pfizer Inc.

Severity and management of psoriasis within primary care.

BackgroundScottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidelines stress the importance of assessing patients with psoriasis for psoriatic arthritis, comorbidities associated with severe disease and quality of life (QoL).The purpose of the study was to evaluate the primary care management of psoriasis in relation to disease severity and QoL from a patient’s perspective.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of adults (≥18 years) with psoriasis managed in primary care was conducted in Scotland over 1-year (2012–2013). Patients with psoriasis were identified and invited to participate in the online/telephone survey. The questionnaires included; Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Self-Administered Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (SAPASI), Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST). The primary outcome measure was DLQI. Secondary outcomes included; demographics; comorbidities; involvement of different body sites; SAPASI and PEST scores. Relationships between measures were analysed using univariate analysis.ResultsThe mean age of patients (n = 905) was 54.5 years (SD = 16.1), 436 (48.2 %) were men, and median DLQI and SAPASI scores were 4.0 and 6.0, respectively. Current psoriasis treatments were topical only (587, 64.9 %), oral medications or phototherapy (122, 13.5 %), biologics (26, 3 %) and none (156, 17.2 %). Despite SIGN recommendations, 256 of 391 patients (65.5 %) with a DLQI >5 (at least a moderate effect on QoL) had not seen a specialist during the past year. According to PEST scores, 259 patients (28.6 %) had symptoms suggestive of psoriatic arthritis requiring rheumatology referral.ConclusionNational recommendations are not being fully implemented in primary care in patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.

Prevalence of undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis among psoriasis patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Skin psoriasis precedes the onset of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in 84% of patients with psoriasis. Dermatologists have an important role to screen psoriasis patients for PsA. The efficiency of PsA screening remains unknown. We sought to determine the point prevalence of undiagnosed PsA in patients with psoriasis using a systematic search of the literature and meta-analysis. PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase database searches yielded 394 studies for review. No study aimed to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed PsA in patients with psoriasis. We assumed that the prevalence of newly diagnosed PsA in patients with psoriasis at the time they seek medical care could be a sound estimate of this value. Seven epidemiological studies and 5 studies on PsA screening questionnaires allowed us to clearly identify patients with newly diagnosed PsA and were selected for review. The prevalence of undiagnosed PsA was 15.5% when all studies were considered and 10.1% when only epidemiological studies were considered. Data were obtained from studies not designed to address the question at hand. Heterogeneity was high (I(2)=96.86%), and therefore a random effects model was used. The high prevalence of undiagnosed PsA in patients with psoriasis adds to the recommendation that dermatologists need to screen all patients with psoriasis for PsA.

The Assessment of Selected Bone and Cartilage Biomarkers in Psoriatic Patients from Poland.

Background. Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease in which joints involvement may be insidious and difficult to detect. Bone and cartilage biomarkers may be helpful in screening patients with psoriasis for psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Objectives. To assess bone and cartilage serum biomarkers in psoriasis. Methods. The study was conducted in 2014 and included 61 psoriatic patients and 30 healthy individuals. In both groups, the serum concentrations of soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (sRANKL), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and interleukin-20 (IL-20) were examined. Severity of skin lesions was assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body surface area (BSA), and Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scores. Results. The duration of psoriasis was from 1 year to 45 years. 22 patients suffered from concomitant PsA. The mean value of PASI was 23.1 ± 12.0 and BSA was 27.6 ± 20.6%. COMP, OPG, and IL-20 concentrations in psoriatic patients were significantly higher than in the control group. OPG/sRANKL ratio was significantly lower in PsA patients than in psoriatic patients without arthritis. Conclusions. Results of the conducted study suggest that COMP, OPG, IL-20, and OPG/sRANKL ratio may appear useful biomarkers of bone and cartilage involvement in psoriasis.

Kv1.3 in psoriatic disease: PAP-1, a small molecule inhibitor of Kv1.3 is effective in the SCID mouse psoriasis – Xenograft model

Kv1.3 channels regulate the activation/proliferation of effector memory T cells and thus play a critical role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Using a combination of immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and electrophysiology methods we observed a significant enrichment of activated Kv1.3+ memory T cells in psoriasis plaques and synovial fluid from patients with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis (PsA) compared to non-lesional psoriatic skin, normal skin or peripheral blood lympho-mononuclear cells. In in vitro studies performed with lesional mononuclear cells or T cells derived from skin and joints of psoriatic disease, the small molecule Kv1.3 blocker PAP-1 dose-dependently inhibited proliferation and suppressed IL-2 and IFN-γ production. To further substantiate the pathologic role of Kv1.3 high TEM cells in psoriatic disease we tested whether PAP-1 is able to improve psoriatic disease pathology in the SCID mouse-psoriasis skin xenograft model. Following four weeks of daily treatment with 2% PAP-1 ointment we noticed about 50% reduction in the epidermal thickness (rete peg length) and the number of CD3+ lymphocytes/mm2 of dermis decreased by 85%. Vehicle treated and untreated plaques in contrast remained unchanged and showed no reduction in epidermis thickness and infiltrating CD3+ T cells and HLA-DR+ T cells. Based on these results we propose the development of Kv1.3 targeted topical immunotherapy for psoriasis and possibly for other inflammatory skin conditions, where effector memory T cells are involved in the pathogenesis.

Sleep quality and other patient‐reported outcomes improve after patients with psoriasis with suboptimal response to other systemic therapies are switched to adalimumab: results from PROGRESS, an open‐label Phase IIIB trial

Psoriasis is associated with poor health-related quality of life, including sleep impairment. To assess the extent of sleep impairment, the effect of adalimumab on sleep and other patient-reported outcomes, and correlations between changes in these outcomes and sleep quality in patients with psoriasis. Patients in the 16-week, open-label, Phase IIIb PROGRESS trial had chronic plaque psoriasis and suboptimal response to prior therapy (etanercept, methotrexate or narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy). Adalimumab was self-injected subcutaneously (80 mg at week 0, then 40 mg every other week from week 1). The focus for this analysis was the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale. Other patient-reported outcomes included the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Physician's Global Assessment, a visual analogue scale for psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis (PsA) pain, and the Work Productivity and Activity Index Questionnaire-Specific Health Problems. Patients with psoriasis had impaired sleep at baseline. The degree of sleep impairment was significantly associated with the extent of work productivity for all sleep measures and, for some sleep measures, was associated with DLQI impairment, clinical severity measured by PASI, the presence of PsA, and depression. Adalimumab treatment significantly improved sleep quality by 15% from baseline, as well as DLQI score, pain and work productivity. The improvement in sleep was partially explained (R(2 ) = 0·16, P < 0·001) by improvements in the objectively measured psoriasis signs in PASI. Adalimumab treatment improved sleep outcomes and other patient-reported outcomes including health-related quality of life, work productivity, daily activity and disease-related pain.

Soluble Biomarkers May Differentiate Psoriasis from Psoriatic Arthritis

Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have a higher inflammatory burden and poorer quality of life compared to patients with psoriasis without PsA. Early identification of PsA may prevent joint damage progression and improve quality of life. Soluble biomarkers have the potential to be useful for screening patients with psoriasis for underlying PsA so that appropriate referral to a rheumatologist is made. Pilot studies have shown that C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), Dickkopf-1, and macrophage-colony stimulating factor may differentiate PsA from psoriasis without PsA. Compared with controls, increased serum levels of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand, tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 14, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and COMP are independently associated with psoriatic disease. Increased levels of high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP), osteoprotegerin (OPG), MMP-3, and the ratio of C-propeptide of type II collagen (CPII) to collagen fragment neoepitopes Col2-3/4 C(long mono) (C2C) are independently associated with PsA. A combination of hsCRP, OPG, MMP-3, and the ratio CPII of C2C was able to distinguish patients with PsA from those with psoriasis alone in a receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, with area under the curve 0.904. Therefore, a combination of the above biomarkers may at least have a role in screening patients with psoriasis for PsA. These findings need to be validated in prospective studies.

Update on Biomarkers in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Report from the GRAPPA 2010 Annual Meeting: Table 1.

Biomarkers may be used to screen patients with psoriasis for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and to assess disease activity and severity. Candidate biomarkers should fulfil the key features of the OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology) filter, that is, truth, discrimination, and feasibility. A number of biomarkers are currently being investigated in psoriatic disease for important clinical outcomes. Serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, interleukin 6 (IL-6), osteoprotegerin, matrix metalloprotease-3 (MMP-3), and the ratio of C-propeptide of type II collagen (CPII) to collagen fragment neoepitopes Col2-3/4 (long mono) (C2C) show promise as serum biomarkers that distinguish subjects with PsA from those with psoriasis alone. Serum MMP-3 and melanoma inhibitory activity, synovial fluid IL-1, IL-1 receptor-α, IL-6, IL-8, and chemokine CCL3 and synovial tissue CD3-positive T cells may prove useful as biomarkers of PsA activity. Circulating osteoclast precursors, Dickkopf-1, macrophage colony stimulating factor, receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand, and bone alkaline phosphatase are strong candidates as biomarkers of radiographic change. Prospective studies to identify biomarkers for psoriatic disease are high on the research agenda of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and PsA.

Psoriatic arthritis.

Case Reports1 October 1950PSORIATIC ARTHRITISJOHN C. NUNEMAKER, M.D., SEYMOUR A. HARTMAN, M.D.JOHN C. NUNEMAKER, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, SEYMOUR A. HARTMAN, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-33-4-1016 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe occasional coexistence of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis has been acknowledged by clinicians for many years. The question of the causal relationship of one disease to the other has been the subject of numerous papers. The question has also been raised in recent years as to whether psoriasis may ever be responsible for a joint disease which is not rheumatoid arthritis. The present report deals with the latter question.HISTORICAL ABSTRACTAccording to Dawson,1attention was first called to the presence of joint pains in patients with psoriasis as early as 1822. Comroe5states that this association was further studied...Bibliography1. Dawson MH: A note on the occurrence of psoriasis in rheumatoid arthritis, M. Clin. North America 21: 1807-1808, 1937. CrossrefGoogle Scholar2. Bourdillon D: Psoriasis et arthropathies, These de Paris, 1888, No. 328. Google Scholar3. Hench PS: Arthropathia psoriatica, presentation of a case, Proc. Staff Meet., Mayo Clin. 2: 89-90, 1927. Google Scholar4. DawsonTyson MHTL: Psoriasis arthropathica, with observations on certain features common to psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, Tr. A. Am. Physicians 53: 303-309, 1938. Google Scholar5. Comroe BI: Arthritis and allied conditions, 1941, Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia. CrossrefGoogle Scholar6. PoppAddington WCEA: Roentgen therapy for psoriasis of nails and psoriatic arthritis, Radiology 36: 98-99, 1941. CrossrefGoogle Scholar7. JeghersRobinson HLJ: Arthropathia psoriatica; report of a case and discussion of pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment, J. A. M. A. 108: 949-952, 1937. CrossrefGoogle Scholar8. Hench PS: Acute and chronic arthritis, Nelson's Loose-leaf living surgery, 1935, Thomas Nelson and Sons, New York, vol. iii, pp. 104-175. Google Scholar9. ShlionskyBlake HFG: Arthritis psoriatica; report of a case, Ann. Int. Med. 10: 537-546, 1936. LinkGoogle Scholar10. Epstein E: Differential diagnosis of keratosis blennorrhagica and psoriasis arthropathica, Arch. Dermat. and Syph. 40: 547-559, 1939. CrossrefGoogle Scholar11. BauerBennettZeller WGAJW: Pathology of joint lesions in patients with psoriasis and arthritis, Tr. A. Am. Physicians 56: 349-352, 1941. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: *Received for publication May 18, 1948.From the Salt Lake City Veterans Hospital and the Department of Medicine of the University of Utah Medical School.Published with permission of the Chief Medical Director, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Veterans Administration, who assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed or conclusions drawn by the authors. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThe Hand in PsoriasisRheumatoid Arthritis and PsoriasisPSORIATIC ARTHRITIS*EUGENE H. STERNE JR., M.D., F.A.C.P., BENJAMIN SCHNEIDER, M.D. 1 October 1950Volume 33, Issue 4Page: 1016-1023KeywordsArthralgiaHospital medicinePsoriasisPsoriatic arthritisRheumatoid arthritisSaltsSurgery ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 October 1950 PDF downloadLoading ...