Key clinical point: Patients with psoriasis with the most severe disease were at highest risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA), highlighting the need for regular screening for signs and symptoms of PsA.
Major finding: Overall incidence of PsA in patients with mild, moderate, and severe psoriasis was 2.1 (95% CI 2.1-2.1), 9.9 (95% CI 9.5-10.4), and 17.6 (95% CI 16.9-18.3) events per 100 patient-years, respectively. The 5-year prevalence rate of PsA was highest for patients with severe psoriasis (54.9%) and lowest for those with mild psoriasis (9.9%).
Study details: Findings are from a retrospective analysis of the United States Electronic Health Records database including 114,868 patients with newly diagnosed psoriasis.
Disclosures: This study was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ. The investigators reported ties with several sources including Novartis. Some of the investigators declared being current or former employees of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Novartis Pharma AG, or KMK Consulting, Inc.
Source: Merola JF et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021 Sep 18. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2021.09.019.