Measuring Outcomes in Psoriatic Arthritis: Comparing Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data and Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease

Clinical Validation of Digitally Acquired Clinical Data and Machine Learning Models for Remote Measurement of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: A Proof-of-Concept Study

OBJECTIVE

Psoriatic disease remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. We developed and validated a suite of novel, sensor-based smartphone assessments (Psorcast app) that can be self-administered to measure cutaneous and musculoskeletal signs and symptoms of psoriatic disease.

METHODS

Participants with psoriasis (PsO) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and healthy controls were recruited between June 5, 2019, and November 10, 2021, at 2 academic medical centers. Concordance and accuracy of digital measures and image-based machine learning models were compared to their analogous clinical measures from trained rheumatologists and dermatologists.

RESULTS

Of 104 study participants, 51 (49%) were female and 53 (51%) were male, with a mean age of 42.3 years (SD 12.6). Seventy-nine (76%) participants had PsA, 16 (15.4%) had PsO, and 9 (8.7%) were healthy controls. Digital patient assessment of percent body surface area (BSA) affected with PsO demonstrated very strong concordance (Lin concordance correlation coefficient [CCC] 0.94 [95% CI 0.91-0.96]) with physician-assessed BSA. The in-clinic and remote target plaque physician global assessments showed fair-to-moderate concordance (CCCerythema 0.72 [0.59-0.85]; CCCinduration 0.72 [0.62-0.82]; CCCscaling 0.60 [0.48-0.72]). Machine learning models of hand photos taken by patients accurately identified clinically diagnosed nail PsO with an accuracy of 0.76. The Digital Jar Open assessment categorized physician-assessed upper extremity involvement, considering joint tenderness or enthesitis (AUROC 0.68 [0.47-0.85]).

CONCLUSION

The Psorcast digital assessments achieved significant clinical validity, although they require further validation in larger cohorts before use in evidence-based medicine or clinical trial settings. The smartphone software and analysis pipelines from the Psorcast suite are open source and freely available.

The impact of dietary interventions in psoriatic arthritis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a common form of inflammatory arthritis that affects people with psoriasis. Both psoriasis and PsA are associated with metabolic diseases including obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease including myocardial infarction. Dietary interventions for psoriatic disease have been of great interest, particularly among patients with PsA.

RECENT FINDINGS

Herein, we review the evidence for dietary intervention in psoriatic arthritis. To date, weight loss among patients who are obese has the greatest evidence for benefit. We also examine the evidence for fasting, nutrient supplementation, and specific diets as adjunct therapeutic strategies.

SUMMARY

While the data do not clearly support a single dietary intervention across the disease, weight loss among those who are obese results in improved PsA disease activity and physical function. Additional studies are needed to better understand the impact of diet on psoriatic arthritis.

Association between obesity and likelihood of remission or low disease activity status in psoriatic arthritis applying index-based and patient-based definitions of remission: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to evaluate whether obese patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) were less likely to be in remission/low disease activity (LDA).

METHODS

We used data from the ReFlaP, an international multi-centre cohort study (NCT03119805), which recruited consecutive adults with definite PsA (disease duration ≥ 2 years) from 14 countries. Demographics, clinical data, comorbidities, and patient-reported outcomes were collected. Remission/LDA was defined as Very Low Disease Activity (VLDA)/minimal disease activity (MDA), Disease Activity in PSoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) ≤4/≤14, or by patients' opinion. Obesity was defined as physician-reported and/or body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. We evaluated the association between obesity and the presence of remission/LDA, with adjustment in multivariable regression models.

RESULTS

Among 431 patients (49.3% women), 136 (31.6%) were obese. Obese versus non-obese patients were older, more frequently women, had higher tender joint and enthesitis counts and worse pain, physical function and health-related quality of life. Obese patients were less likely to be in VLDA; DAPSA remission and MDA, with adjusted ORs of 0.31 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.77); 0.39 (95% CI 0.19 to 0.80) and 0.61 (95% CI 0.38 to 0.99), respectively. Rates of DAPSA-LDA and patient-reported remission/LDA were similar for obese and non-obese patients.

CONCLUSION

PsA patients with comorbid obesity were 2.5-3 folds less likely to be in remission/LDA by composite scores compared with non-obese patients; however, remission/LDA rates were similar based on the patients' opinion. PsA patients with comorbid obesity may have different disease profiles and require individualised management.

Difficult to treat psoriatic arthritis - how should we manage?

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, multi-domain immune-mediated inflammatory arthritis with a high disease burden. PsA patients have significant co-morbidities like obesity, depression, fibromyalgia which can impact disease activity assessment. The management of PsA has undergone a paradigm shift over the last decade due to the availability of multiple biologic and targeted synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Despite the availability of multiple therapeutic agents, it is not uncommon to find patients not responding adequately and continuing to have active disease and/or high disease burden. In our review, we propose what is "difficult to treat PsA", discuss differential diagnosis, commonly overlooked factors, co-morbidities that affect treatment responses, and suggest a stepwise algorithm to manage these patients.

The association between comorbidities and disease activity in spondyloarthritis - A narrative review

Comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and depression, are more prevalent in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) than in the general population. Clinical and laboratory markers of disease activity are associated with numerous of these comorbidities, and studies suggest that the treatment of SpA can have a positive impact on comorbidities; conversely, managing comorbidities can improve disease activity. Therefore, the screening of comorbidities is considered a core component of a rheumatology consultation, and treatment should be performed in liaison with other health professionals (e.g. general physicians). Validated tools and questionnaires can be used for not only the detection but also the monitoring of potential comorbidities. Understanding whether a comorbidity is a separate disease entity, linked to SpA or its treatment, or an extra-musculoskeletal manifestation of the disease is important to identify the most appropriate treatment options.

Correlation of patient-reported routine assessment of patient index data with clinical measures of disease activity in psoriatic arthritis

Aim

A treat‐to‐target strategy is recommended for management of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), although there is lack of agreement regarding the best measure of disease activity to target. Physician assessments included in traditional indices can be complex and time consuming to complete and cannot be readily conducted by telehealth. This study compares the routine assessment of patient index data 3 (RAPID3), an efficient tool comprising patient self‐assessment, with traditional clinician‐led composite measures in the PsA clinic setting.

Methods

Data were collected prospectively from July 2016 to March 2020 in 2 dedicated PsA clinics in Sydney, Australia. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was created for comparison of RAPID3 score with composite scores minimal disease activity (MDA), very low disease activity (VLDA) and disease activity in psoriatic arthritis (DAPSA) in low disease activity or remission.

Results

Ninety‐three patients had simultaneous collection of RAPID3 and MDA measures. Mean (SD) age was 49.9 (13.5) years, 50.5% were male and 23 (24.7%) had erosive disease at baseline. RAPID3 scores ≤3.2 and ≤2.7 (range 0‐30) had high sensitivity and specificity for VLDA and DAPSA remission respectively, with ROC curve area under the curve (95% CI) of 0.94 (0.91‐0.97) and 0.96 (0.93‐0.99).

Conclusion

RAPID3 has good agreement with physician‐led composite scores of MDA, VLDA and DAPSA, and provides a viable alternative to composite scores. This is particularly helpful in settings that do not allow for clinical examination, for example telehealth.

Psoriatic Arthritis: The Influence of Co-morbidities on Drug Choice

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with a higher burden of co-morbidities such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, inflammatory eye disease, inflammatory bowel disease, skin cancer and depression compared to the general population. In the last 20 years, the therapeutic options for PsA have increased exponentially with the availability of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) inhibitors, interleukin (IL)-17 inhibitors, IL-12/23 inhibitors and Janus kinases/signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins (JAK/STAT) inhibitors. The articular and extra-articular manifestations of PsA usually dictate the treatment choice but important consideration must be given to the corresponding co-morbidities while deciding the drug therapy due to associated safety profile, effect on disease activity, etc. This review provides a comprehensive review of common co-morbidities in PsA and how they can influence treatment choices.

Telemedicine and psoriatic arthritis: best practices and considerations for dermatologists and rheumatologists

Telemedicine encompasses a variety of modalities that allow for the remote assessment and treatment of patients. The technologies, services, and tools available for telemedicine in the USA are increasingly becoming an integral part of the healthcare system to bridge the gaps in care that can arise from geographic and/or socioeconomic obstacles and provider shortages. Telemedicine can be applied to a spectrum of clinical areas, including rheumatic diseases. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem disease with predominately skin and joint manifestations. PsA is often misdiagnosed and/or undiagnosed, which can lead to worse patient outcomes, including irreversible joint erosion and damage. The difficulties in diagnosing and managing PsA are confounded by the emergence and increased use of telemedicine because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine presents the opportunity to increase access to healthcare by rheumatologists and dermatologists to improve training and education regarding PsA and to decrease time attributed to office visits associated with PsA. However, challenges in diagnosing PsA without a thorough in-person physical examination by a trained rheumatologist or dermatologist exist. We provide an overview of the ways telemedicine can be incorporated into clinical care and optimized for patients with PsA; characteristic clinical features of PsA, with a focus on skin and joint signs and symptoms; screening tools to be used in routine clinical care; assessments that can be used to evaluate quality of life, functional ability, and disease activity in PsA; and resources and recommendations for the development of future telemedicine use in rheumatology and dermatology.

Key Points • Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are often misdiagnosed and/or undiagnosed. • Telemedicine can improve access to healthcare by rheumatologists and dermatologists. • Telemedicine can be incorporated into clinical care and optimized for managing PsA.

Psoriatic Arthritis and Metabolic Syndrome: Is There a Role for Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs?

Although psoriatic arthritis (PsA) primarily leads to joint and skin damage, it is associated with higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components, namely hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and type II diabetes. Additionally, chronic inflammation is known to aggravate these cardiometabolic factors, thus explaining the enhanced cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in RA. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggest that some risk factors can fuel inflammation, thus pointing to a bidirectional crosstalk between inflammation and cardiometabolic factors. Therefore, dampening inflammation by disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may be thought to ameliorate MetS burden and thus, CV risk and disease severity. In fact, recommendations for PsA management emphasize the need of considering comorbidities to guide the treatment decision process. However, the existing evidence on the impact of approved DMARDs in PsA on MetS and MetS components is far from being optimal, thus representing a major challenge for the clinical setting. Although a beneficial effect of some DMARDs such as methotrexate, TNF inhibitors and some small molecules is clear, no head-to-head studies are published and no evidence is available for other therapeutic approaches such as IL-23 or IL-17 inhibitors. This narrative review summarizes the main evidence related to the effect of DMARDs on MetS outcomes in PsA patients and identify the main limitations, research needs and future perspectives in this scenario.

A comparison of physical function instruments in psoriatic arthritis: HAQ-DI vs MDHAQ vs PROMIS10 global physical health

OBJECTIVES

Physical function is a core outcome in PsA. We examined the construct validity and responsiveness of three commonly used instruments to assess physical function in PsA: HAQ disability index (HAQ-DI), MultiDimensional HAQ (MDHAQ) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) Global-10.

METHODS

Between 2016 and 2019, patients with PsA were enrolled in the Psoriatic Arthritis Research Consortium longitudinal cohort study in the USA. Correlations were calculated at baseline and among change scores using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Standardized response means were calculated. Agreement with the 20% improvement cut-off was used to determine the potential effect of using MDHAQ or the PROMIS Global-10 physical health (GPH) subscore in place of HAQ-DI when assessing the ACR20.

RESULTS

A total of 274 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age of patients was 49 years and 51% were male. At baseline, the mean HAQ-DI was 0.6 (s.d. 0.6; range 0-3), the mean MDHAQ was 1.8 (s.d. 1.6; range 0-10) and the mean GPH T-score was 43.4 (s.d. 9.3; range 0-100). All three instruments were strongly correlated at baseline (rho 0.75-0.85). Change scores were moderately correlated (rho 0.42-0.71). Among therapy initiators, the mean change between two visits in HAQ-DI, MDHAQ and GPH was -0.1 (s.d. 0.4), -0.2 (s.d. 1.2) and 2.5 (s.d. 6.1), respectively. The standardized response means were 0.18, 0.16 and 0.41, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The three instruments tested are not directly interchangeable but have overall similar levels of responsiveness.

Psoriatic arthritis and the association with cardiometabolic disease: a narrative review

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with a higher burden of cardiometabolic disorders, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease (CVD), compared with the general population. These comorbidities are associated with the severity of disease, and adversely affect treatment outcomes in PsA. Comorbidities lead to increased physician visits and medications for patients and make the selection and maintenance of therapies challenging for physicians. Moreover, CVD is a leading cause of mortality in PsA. Therefore, optimal management of PsA should include not only treating the skin and joint disease, but also identifying comorbidities early, and managing them to improve long-term outcomes. Further studies are needed to understand the complex mechanisms, interactions, and trajectories of cardiometabolic comorbidities in psoriatic disease.

Obesity and Psoriatic Arthritis: A Narrative Review

Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have a higher burden of cardio-metabolic comorbidities like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease compared to the general population. Adipose tissue is thought to promote a chronic low grade inflammatory state through inflammatory mediators like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leptin, and adiponectin. A higher body mass index (BMI) is a risk factor for development of PsA and affects disease activity and response to therapy including both disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). Obesity has an impact on the morbidity in PsA, particularly cardiovascular and/or metabolic. Patients with PsA have a higher cardiovascular risk and obesity may have an additive impact on morbidity and mortality. This review explores the relationship between obesity and PsA.

Psoriatic arthritis impact of disease questionnaire: validity, reliability and its clinical potential

The psoriatic arthritis impact of disease (PSAID) questionnaire has been developed to measure disease impact on patients with psoriatic arthritis. It was aimed to evaluate its validity and reliability in association with sociodemographic and clinical factors and compare it with disease activity and patient-reported outcome measures in a Turkish psoriatic arthritis population. A prospective observational study was conducted to validate the Turkish version of the PSAID. All consecutive patients with psoriatic arthritis were evaluated between January 2019 and October 2019. Demographic and clinical features were recorded. The PSAID and patient-reported outcome measures were applied to all patients. Interclass and intra-class correlation analyses were performed. Convergent validity and correlation coefficients were used for validity analyses. There were 80 patients with a mean age of 50.2 ± 9.9 years. Cronbach's α value of the PSAID and intra-class correlation were 0.799 and 0.984, respectively. The total median PSAID score was 4.7. Pain, fatigue, ability to work, functional capacity and feeling of discomfort were the five highest-scoring subscales. There was satisfactory internal consistency for each subscale of the PSAID. As disease severity increased from low to high, the PSAID scores significantly increased. There were acceptable correlations between the PSAID and other patient-reported outcome measures. The PSAID is shown to be a reliable and valid questionnaire in Turkish patients with psoriatic arthritis. Good correlation with disease activity and patient-reported outcome measures represent an opportunity to use the PSAID in clinical practice to tailor individualized treatment choices.