In a meta-analysis published in Dermatology, researchers found that patients with psoriatic arthritis developed more severe cutaneous psoriasis symptoms compared with patients with psoriasis alone. Consequently, the authors stressed the importance of collaboration between dermatology and rheumatology teams during care.
The systematic review analyzed 29 articles published between January 2013 and February 2021. Psoriasis severity was evaluated via Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score (PASI; n=19), affected body surface area (BSA; n=10), or number of sites (n=2).
According to the analyses, most evidence supported an association between psoriatic arthritis and more extensive skin disease. Additionally, patients with psoriatic arthritis had higher mean PASI scores (mean difference [MD], 1.59; 95% CI, 0.29-2.89) and affected BSA (MD, 5.31; 95% CI, 1.78-8.83). Notably, the investigators found prospective studies that sought to determine risk for future psoriatic arthritis for a patient with psoriasis have yielded inconsistent evidence.
The researchers concluded that patients with psoriatic arthritis had more severe skin symptoms compared with those with psoriasis alone, but they noted the reviewed evidence did not support the ability of psoriasis severity measures to estimate risk for future psoriatic arthritis.
Reference: Pouw JN, Jacobs ME, Balak DMW, van Laar JM, Welsing PMJ, Leijten EFA. Do Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis Have More Severe Skin Disease than Patients with Psoriasis Only? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [published online ahead of print, 2022 May 12]. Dermatology. 2022;1-12. doi:10.1159/000524231
