A study sought to discern sex-related disease burden associated with recent onset of psoriatic arthritis (PsAID). The findings appeared in Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology.

The observational, prospective study comprised 418 patients aged 18 years and older who met Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis criteria and had less than 2 years since symptom onset. Data were assessed for each patient at baseline (n = 158) and at years 1 (n = 135) and 2 (n = 125) of follow-up. Patients were subsequently matched with PsAID values at each respective visit interval. The investigators used multivariate logistic remission modeling to assess the link between PsAID and sex.

The researchers analyzed health assessment quality, activity level, pain, and joint pattern at diagnosis and found no appreciable link between female sex and high PsAID burden.

The researchers concluded that these confounders, such as differences in physical activity, increased pain intensity, and specifically higher Health Assessment Questionnaire score, may explain the association between female sex and higher disease impact.

Reference: Queiro R, Seoane-Mato D, Laiz A, et al. Confounders contributing to explain the association between sex and disease impact in patients with recent-onset psoriatic arthritis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2022. doi:10.55563/clinexprheumatol/077ul6

Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35699067/