Key clinical point: The risk for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) was not higher among patients with psoriasis treated with acitretin vs disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD), irrespective of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).
Major finding: The 5-year cumulative incidence rate for PsA was lower in the acitretin vs DMARD cohort (7.52% vs 9.93%; P = .005), with the incidence rates of PsA being markedly lower in the subgroup of patients receiving NSAID in the acitretin vs DMARD cohort (14.31% vs 23.83%; P = .008). Acitretin therapy showed no association with PsA development (hazard ratio 0.84; 95% CI 0.66-1.07).
Study details: Findings are from a retrospective cohort study including patients with psoriasis and without PsA who received either acitretin (n = 1948) or DMARD (n = 1948) for ≥ 30 days within a year.
Disclosures: This study was supported in part by the Taichung Veterans General Hospital. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Lin TL et al. Psoriatic arthritis risk in psoriasis patients prescribed acitretin versus disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: A nationwide cohort study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2023 (Sep 1). doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead446