Table 3.
2019 version | Changes performed | 2023 version | ||
Overarching principles | ||||
A | Psoriatic arthritis is a heterogeneous and potentially severe disease, which may require multidisciplinary treatment. | Unchanged | A | Psoriatic arthritis is a heterogeneous and potentially severe disease, which may require multidisciplinary treatment. |
B | Treatment of psoriatic arthritis patients should aim at the best care and must be based on a shared decision between the patient and the rheumatologist, considering efficacy, safety and costs. | Reformulated | B | Treatment of psoriatic arthritis patients should aim at the best care and must be based on a shared decision between the patient and the rheumatologist, considering efficacy, safety, patient preferences and costs. |
C | Rheumatologists are the specialists who should primarily care for the musculoskeletal manifestations of patients with psoriatic arthritis; in the presence of clinically significant skin involvement, a rheumatologist and a dermatologist should collaborate in diagnosis and management. | Reformulated | C | Rheumatologists are the specialists who should primarily care for the musculoskeletal manifestations of patients with psoriatic arthritis; in the presence of clinically relevant skin involvement, a rheumatologist and a dermatologist should collaborate in diagnosis and management. |
D | The primary goal of treating patients with psoriatic arthritis is to maximise health-related quality of life, through control of symptoms, prevention of structural damage, normalisation of function and social participation; abrogation of inflammation is an important component to achieve these goals. | Unchanged | D | The primary goal of treating patients with psoriatic arthritis is to maximise health-related quality of life, through control of symptoms, prevention of structural damage, normalisation of function and social participation; abrogation of inflammation is an important component to achieve these goals. |
E | In managing patients with psoriatic arthritis, consideration should be given to each musculoskeletal manifestation and treatment decisions made accordingly. | Unchanged | E | In managing patients with psoriatic arthritis, consideration should be given to each musculoskeletal manifestation and treatment decisions made accordingly. |
F | When managing patients with psoriatic arthritis, non-musculoskeletal manifestations (skin, eye and gastrointestinal tract) should be taken into account; comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease or depression should also be considered. | Reformulated | F | When managing patients with psoriatic arthritis, non-musculoskeletal manifestations (particularly skin, eye and gastrointestinal tract) should be taken into account; comorbidities such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease or depression should also be considered. |
New | G | The choice of treatment should take account of safety considerations regarding individual modes of action to optimise the benefit–risk profile. | ||
Recommendations | ||||
1 | Treatment should be aimed at reaching the target of remission or, alternatively, low disease activity, by regular disease activity assessment and appropriate adjustment of therapy. | Unchanged | 1 | Treatment should be aimed at reaching the target of remission or, alternatively, minimal/low disease activity, by regular monitoring and appropriate adjustment of therapy. |
2 and 3 |
|
Merged and modified | 2 | Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be used to relieve musculoskeletal signs and symptoms; local injections of glucocorticoids may be considered as adjunctive therapy. |
4 and 5 |
|
Merged and modified | 3 | In patients with polyarthritis, or those with monoarthritis/oligoarthritis and poor prognostic factors (eg, structural damage, elevated acute phase reactants, dactylitis or nail involvement), a csDMARD should be initiated rapidly, with methotrexate preferred in those with clinically relevant skin involvement. |
6 | In patients with peripheral arthritis and an inadequate response to at least one csDMARD, therapy with a bDMARD should be commenced; when there is relevant skin involvement, an IL-17 inhibitor or IL-12/23 inhibitor may be preferred. | Split into two recommendations | 4 | In patients with peripheral arthritis and an inadequate response to at least one csDMARD, therapy with a bDMARD should be commenced. |
7 | In patients with peripheral arthritis and an inadequate response to at least one csDMARD and at least one bDMARD, or when a bDMARD is not appropriate, a JAK inhibitor may be considered. | Modified | 5 | In patients with peripheral arthritis and an inadequate response to at least one bDMARD, or when a bDMARD is not appropriate, a JAKi may be considered, taking safety considerations into account. |
8 | In patients with mild disease and an inadequate response to at least one csDMARD, in whom neither a bDMARD nor a JAK inhibitor is appropriate, a PDE4 inhibitor may be considered. | Unchanged | 6 | In patients with mild disease and an inadequate response to at least one csDMARD, in whom neither a bDMARD nor a JAKi is appropriate, a PDE4 inhibitor may be considered. |
9 | In patients with unequivocal enthesitis and insufficient response to NSAIDs or local glucocorticoid injections, therapy with a bDMARD should be considered. | Unchanged | 7 | In patients with unequivocal enthesitis and an insufficient response to NSAIDs or local glucocorticoid injections, therapy with a bDMARD should be considered. |
10 | In patients with predominantly axial disease which is active and has insufficient response to NSAIDs, therapy with a bDMARD should be considered, which according to current practice is a TNF inhibitor; when there is relevant skin involvement, IL-17 inhibitor may be preferred. | Modified | 8 | In patients with clinically relevant axial disease with an insufficient response to NSAIDs, therapy with an IL-17Ai, a TNFi, an IL-17 A/Fi or a JAKi should be considered. |
New | 9 | The choice of the mode of action should reflect non-musculoskeletal manifestations related to psoriatic arthritis; with clinically relevant skin involvement, preference should be given to an IL-17A or IL-17A/F or IL-23 or IL-12/23 inhibitor; with uveitis to an anti-TNF monoclonal antibody; and with IBD to an anti-TNF monoclonal antibody or an IL-23i or IL-12/23i or a JAKi. | ||
11 | In patients who fail to respond adequately to or are intolerant of a bDMARD, switching to another bDMARD or tsDMARD should be considered, including one switch within a class. | Modified | 10 | In patients with an inadequate response or intolerance to a bDMARD or a JAKi, switching to another bDMARD or JAKi should be considered, including one switch within a class. |
12 | In patients in sustained remission, cautious tapering of DMARDs may be considered. | Reformulated | 11 | In patients in sustained remission, tapering of DMARDs may be considered. |
bDMARD, biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; csDMARD, conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; IL, interleukin; JAK, Janus kinase; JAKi, Janus kinase inhibitor; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; PDE4, phosphodiesterase 4; TNF, tumour necrosis factor; TNFi, tumour necrosis factor inhibitor; tsDMARD, targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug.