No Increased Fracture Risk with Psoriatic Arthritis

The incidence of fractures was no higher in patients with psoriatic arthritis than in matched control subjects in a study published online in the journal Clinical Rheumatology.

“Psoriatic arthritis could have different effects on bone, leading to confusing results in bone densitometry readings,” the study explained, “contributing to the difficulty in establishing the real prevalence of osteoporosis in psoriatic arthritis.”
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The study included 92 patients with psoriatic arthritis matched 1:2 for age and sex with 184 control subjects at a university hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The overall fracture incidence rate per 100,000 persons-years was similar for patients with psoriatic arthritis compared with controls, the study found.

Although vertebral fractures did occur more often in patients with psoriatic arthritis, the difference did not reach statistical significance. The incidence rate of vertebral fractures in patients with psoriatic arthritis was 1020 per 100,000 persons-years, according to the study, compared with 460 per 100,000 persons-years in the control group.

When researchers adjusted for bisphosphonate use, age and female sex were associated with fractures. Psoriatic arthritis diagnosis and the use of glucocorticoids, however, were not.

“In this cohort of psoriatic arthritis patients,” researchers concluded, “no overall increased risk of fractures was found in comparison with matched controls.”

—Jolynn Tumolo

Reference

Lo Giudice LF, Scolnik M, Pierini FS, Marin Zucaro NM, Jaramillo Gallego JF, Soriano ER. Fragility fractures in psoriatic arthritis patients: a matched retrospective cohort study [published online ahead of print May 27, 2020]. Clin Rheumatol. doi:10.1007/s10067-020-05074-8