Psoriatic Arthritis: A Review

Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis which affects the skin and musculoskeletal system. If not diagnosed early and treated effectively it can result in joint deformity and disability. Treatments such as oral disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and biologic therapy are effective but have side effects which could limit their use in certain individuals. Further research aimed at identifying cases earlier in order to improve outcomes is currently being conducted

Current concepts and unmet needs in psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory arthritis that is part of the spondyloarthropathy group of rheumatic diseases and has associated co-morbidities. It can present with various clinical manifestations making diagnosis and treatment challenging, resulting in significant disability and reduced quality of life for patients. Whilst there have been advances in understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease which have resulted in targeted therapies, there is still the need for further studies as some patients fail or are intolerant of current therapies. Better identification of early disease and knowledge of prognostic markers would enable clinicians to initiate appropriate therapy with the expectation that early aggressive treatment will minimise joint damage progression. Improved knowledge of the condition would also enable clinicians to better tailor specific treatment strategies for each of the various clinical domains in psoriatic arthritis