An overview of psoriatic arthritis – epidemiology, clinical features, pathophysiology and novel treatment targets

Abstract

SummaryPsoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory joint disease occurring in a subgroup of patients suffering from psoriasis. This article gives an overview of the complexity of psoriatic arthritis, looking at several aspects of this heterogeneous disease, such as epidemiology, important clinical features and comorbidities as well as current concepts of the pathophysiology and subsequent insights in novel treatment targets.

Cause‐specific mortality in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

“…Peak onset of psoriasis occurs in late adolescence or between the ages of 55 and 60 years . Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a form of arthritis that is associated with psoriasis, with patients generally (60–70%) presenting first with psoriasis and being diagnosed later with PsA . PsA is a heterogeneous, chronic inflammatory joint disease associated with joint pain, irreversible joint damage, stiffness, swelling and extra‐articular manifestations .…”

“…Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a form of arthritis that is associated with psoriasis, with patients generally (60–70%) presenting first with psoriasis and being diagnosed later with PsA . PsA is a heterogeneous, chronic inflammatory joint disease associated with joint pain, irreversible joint damage, stiffness, swelling and extra‐articular manifestations . Approximately 30% of patients with psoriasis may develop PsA, but rates may be higher in patients with more severe psoriasis .…”

Genome Engineering for Personalized Arthritis Therapeutics

“…(https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html) In particular, osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) , and psoriatic arthritis are the most common arthritides, characterized by pain and loss of joint function due to inflammation, bone erosion and remodeling, and the progressive degeneration of articular cartilage and other joint tissues. [1–4] Traditionally, disparate disease paradigms have been applied to RA and OA: RA has been defined as an autoimmune systemic condition, while OA has been described as a mechanically-driven, wear-and-tear arthropathy. [5,6] However, growing evidence indicates that OA consists of a large family of diseases with a similar endpoint, but potentially different pathological mechanisms; in many cases, these may involve dysregulated systemic metabolic or inflammatory cascades.…”

Efficacy and safety of leflunomide in psoriatic arthritis treatment: A single‐arm meta‐analysis

“…Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is characterized by skin damage due to psoriasis and joint inflammation of the peripheral joint or joint erosion; it is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disease associated with activated T cells . This debilitating condition has been reported in 5%‐30% of psoriasis patients . Thus far, conventional disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists have been the two common options for treating PsA .…”