Characterizations Associated With Prodromal and Early Psoriatic Arthritis

According to a study published in RMD Open, joint pain, arthralgia, and entheseal involvement were significant in individuals with psoriasis (PsO) at risk for imminent psoriatic arthritis (PsA), with very early PsA found to be mainly oligoarticular.

Researchers aimed to identify individuals at risk for developing PsA to initiate timely therapeutic interventions. They conducted a systematic literature review in multiple databases, including Medline, Embase, PubMed, and Central, along with international congress abstracts. Out of a total of 23 576 references evaluated for the transition from PsO to PsA, 18 articles were analyzed. These included 14 cohort studies and 2 case-control studies. Additionally, 3 studies out of 7873 references focused on the transition from undifferentiated arthritis to PsA were included. Due to significant heterogeneity in the data, a meta-analysis was not possible.

The findings revealed that individuals with PsO who developed PsA commonly experienced joint pain, joint tenderness, and functional limitations. Arthralgia was associated with the subsequent development of PsA. Furthermore, subclinical enthesopathy was observed on imaging and appeared to be linked to the development of PsA. At the time of PsA onset, peripheral arthritis, particularly oligoarthritis involving a small number of swollen joints, was the most frequent clinical presentation.

“This review informed a EULAR taskforce on transition to PsA,” the authors noted.

Reference
De Marco G, Zabotti A, Baraliakos X, et al. Characterisation of prodromal and very early psoriatic arthritis: a systematic literature review informing a EULAR taskforce. RMD Open. 2023;9(2):e003143. doi:10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003143