Points to Consider to Identify Psoriatic Arthritis

According to a study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology, formerly the European League Against Rheumatism, (EULAR) points to consider (PtC) help define the clinical and imaging features of patients with psoriasis (PsO) suspicious to progress to psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Researchers followed the EULAR standardized operating procedures for the development of PtC and conducted 2 systematic literature reviews to support their work. They formulated nomenclature for the stages preceding PsA onset and proposed 3 stages: patients with PsO at higher risk for PsA, subclinical PsA, and clinical PsA. They also established 5 overarching principles that emphasize the collaborative efforts of rheumatologists and dermatologists in developing strategies for prevention and interception of PsA.

The results yielded 10 PtC, which highlight the importance of arthralgia and imaging abnormalities as key elements of subclinical PsA. These factors can serve as potential short-term predictors of PsA development and guide the design of clinical trials focused on PsA interception. The authors also noted that traditional risk factors for PsA development, such as PsO severity, obesity, and nail involvement, may be more indicative of long-term disease progression rather than short-term trials.

“This information will be helpful for identification of those who could benefit from a therapeutic intervention to attenuate, delay, or prevent PsA development,” the authors concluded.

Reference
Zabotti A, De Marco G, Gossec L, et al. EULAR points to consider for the definition of clinical and imaging features suspicious for progression from psoriasis to psoriatic arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. Published online June 9, 2023. doi:10.1136/ard-2023-224148