Psoriatic Arthritis May Increase Mortality Risk in Young Adults

Compared with their peers in the general population, young adults with psoriatic arthritis are at increased mortality risk, according to a study published in the journal Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. 

“Better control of comorbidities may reduce this risk,” researchers advised.

The study took place at the University of Toronto Psoriatic Arthritis Clinic, where patients are routinely followed at 6- to 12-month intervals. Researchers calculated standardized mortality ratios for 1490 patients followed over 15062.8 patient-years with reference to the Ontario population. 

The overall standardized mortality ratio was 0.92, according to the study. Sex-specific standardized mortality ratios were 1.08 for women and 0.81 for men.

Adults ages 20 to 39 had a standardized mortality ratio of 3.36, the study found. Standardized mortality ratios were 0.97 for adults ages 40 to 59, 0.88 for adults ages 60 to 79, and 0.86 for adults age 80 or older.   

Malignant neoplasms, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia were major causes of death, researchers reported. Factors associated with increased risk of death included elevated acute phase reactants, comorbidities such as heart disease and cancer, and lower education level. 

—Jolynn Tumolo 

Reference:

Elalouf O, Muntyanu A, Polachek A, et al. Mortality in psoriatic arthritis: Risk, causes of death, predictors for death [published online ahead of print, 2020 May 23]. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2020;50(4):571-575. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2020.04.001