Functional-thermoregulatory model for the differential diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis

Abstract

IntroductionPsoriasis arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis of joints of uncertain pathogenesis. PsA may lead to severe disabilities even in the absence of any clinical symptom. Therefore, PsA diagnosis in its early stages is critical.Material and methodsThis study uses Control System theory to model finger skin thermoregulatory processes overlying the hand joint in response to an isometric exercise. The proposed model is based on a homeostatic negative feedback loop characterized by four distinct parameters that describe how the control mechanisms are activated and maintained. Thermal infrared imaging was used to record a total of 280 temperature curves of 14 finger joints for each of 11 PsA patients and 9 healthy controls.Result and conclusionPsA patients presented delayed and prolonged re-warming processes characterized by the undershoot onset after the end of the isometric exercise followed by a faster temperature increase. Region classification on the basis of the model parameters demonstrated that the interphalageal joint region of thumb better discriminates between patients and controls, providing 100% true-positive discrimination for PsA affected regions and 88.89% of correct classification of healthy regions. Even proved over a limited number of subjects, the proposed method may provide useful hints for early differential diagnosis in the IR assessment of PsA disease.

Infrared Thermography Sensor for Disease Activity Detection in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

“…Regions of interest were selected manually from grayscale images, using anatomical areas as reference points to locate the synovium. In [30], Ismail et al selected 14 regions of interest located on the hand’s dorsum, corresponding to the interphalangeal joints, both proximal and distal, metacarpophalangeal joints, nails, and inter-bone muscles. The number of regions of interest may be different; however, due to the risk associated with the omission of inflamed tissue, an automatic method of identifying lesions in RA should be applied.…”

“…The authors of previous related research used IR thermography in medical applications for fever screening of potentially infected patients in airports [25], breast cancer detection [26,27], diabetes neuropathy [28], peripheral vascular disorders detection [29], and in psoriasis arthritis [30]. In recent studies, the role of thermography examination of hand joints for diagnosis and prediction of disease progression was evaluated [31].…”

Understanding the experiences of anger in the onset and progression of psoriasis: A thematic analysis

“…While there is limited research on blood flow in psoriatic plaques, temperature differences could be explained by basal flux/emissivity in psoriatic regions. 55,56 Despite the challenges, not all individuals experienced severe anger, but instead described the occasional frustration. This was explained by several protective factors, including acceptance 14 gaining experience, perceived support/connecting with others, romantic relationships 23,36 spiritual frameworks, and professional intervention.…”

Potential Use of Novel Image and Signal Processing Methods to Develop a Quantitative Assessment of the Severity of Acute Radiation Dermatitis in Breast Cancer Radiotherapy

“… 39 In the case of dermatological diseases, thermal imaging has been used in studies of psoriasis, inter alia, for the early diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. 40 According to the studies of Thomas et al, IRT can also be used to optimize the application of a laser during laser-based skin treatment such as depilation or treating vascular lesions. 41 Numerous studies have been conducted to confirm the usefulness of thermography for treating burns.…”