Table III.
Characteristics of referred patients, suspected of active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and not under current rheumatological care
| Characteristics | All referred patients n = 22 (100) | No PsA n = 13 (59) | PsA |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active n = 7 (32) | Inactive n = 2 (9) | |||
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 56 ± 13 | 55 ±15 | 54 ± 11 | 66 (1) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 6 (27) | 4 (31) | 2 (29) | 0 (0) |
| BMI ≥30, n (%) | 7 (32) | 5 (39) | 1 (14) | 1 (50) |
| Current medication, n (%) | ||||
| No systemic | 7 (32) | 5 (39) | 2 (29) | 0 (0) |
| All conventional | 7 (32) | 6 (46) | 1 (14) | 0 (0) |
| Methotrexate | 5 (23) | 5 (39) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Acitretin | 2 (9) | 1 (8) | 1 (14) | 0 (0) |
| All b/tsDMARD | 8 (36) | 2 (15) | 4 (57) | 2 (100) |
| TNF-inhibitor | 4 (18) | 1 (8) | 1 (14) | 2 (100) |
| IL17-inhibitor | 2 (9) | 0 (0) | 2 (29) | 0 (0) |
| Ustekinumab | 1 (5) | 1 (8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Apremilast | 1 (5) | 0 (0) | 1 (14) | 0 (0) |
| Interview, n (%) | ||||
| History of | ||||
| Osteoarthritis, n (%) | 13 (59) | 8 (62) | 3 (43) | 2 (100) |
| Swollen joints, n (%) | 12 (55) | 6 (46) | 5 (71) | 1 (5) |
| Current joint pain, n (%) | 20 (91) | 12 (92) | 7 (100) | 1 (50) |
| VAS joints (median, IQR) | 43 (12, 70) | 49 (26, 66) | 16 (5, 79) | 48 (5, 90) |
| Painful joints, n (%) | ||||
| Axial | 9 (41) | 6 (46) | 2 (29) | 1 (50) |
| Proximal joints | 12 (55) | 6 (46) | 6 (86) | 0 (0) |
| Distal joints | 14 (64) | 10 (77) | 3 (43) | 1 (5) |
| Back pain, n (%) | ||||
| All back pain | 14 (64) | 9 (69) | 3 (43) | 2 (100) |
| Inflammatory back pain | 3 (14) | 1 (8) | 2 (29) | 0 (0) |
| VAS skin (median, IQR) | 31 (5, 72) | 35 (5, 73) | 51(17, 79) | 8 (0, 16) |
| Screening, n (%) | ||||
| EARP positive (≥ 3) | 13 (59) | 7 (54) | 5 (71) | 1 (50) |
| PEST positive (≥ 3) | 10 (46) | 5 (39) | 4 (58) | 1 (50) |
| ToPAS positive (≥ 8) | 11 (50) | 7 (54) | 3 (43) | 1 (50) |
| Physical examination | ||||
| Skin | ||||
| PASI (mean, IQR) | 2.9 (1.7, 5.3) | 2.7 (1.8, 6.1) | 3.4 (2.4, 6.2) | 1.6 (1.3, 1.8) |
| NAPSI (mean, IQR) | 11 (4, 20)a | 8 (4,20)b | 15 (7, 35)b | 9 (0, 17) |
| N-NAIL (mean, IQR) | 3.5 (0, 10)a | 3 (0, 9)b | 5 (2, 19)b | 5 (0,10) |
| Swollen joint count | ||||
| 0 | 9 (41) | 8 (62) | 0 (0) | 1 (50) |
| 1 | 10 (46) | 4 (31) | 5 (71) | 1 (50) |
| 2–4 | 3 (14) | 1 (8) | 2 (29) | 0 (0) |
| Tender joint count | ||||
| 0 | 11 (50) | 7 (54) | 3 (43) | 1 (50) |
| 1 | 3 (14) | 2 (15) | 1 (14) | 0 (0) |
| 2 – 4 | 3 (14) | 3 (23) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| 5 or more | 5 (23) | 1 (8) | 3 (43) | 1 (50) |
| Leeds enthesitis index | ||||
| 0 | 17 (77) | 10 (77) | 5 (71) | 2 (100) |
| 1 | 3 (14) | 2 (15) | 1 (14) | 0 (0) |
| 2 or more | 2 (9) | 1 (8) | 1 (14) | 0 (0) |
| Reason for referral | ||||
| Suspicion of | ||||
| Peripheral arthritis | 14 (64) | 6 (46) | 7 (100) | 1 (50) |
| Axial arthritis | 8 (36) | 5 (39) | 2 (29) | 1 (50) |
| Enthesitis | 3 (14) | 2 (15) | 1 (14) | 0 (0) |
Inflammatory back pain was defined by a score of 4 or more on the ASAS inflammatory back pain criteria. There were no patients with dactylitis.
Missing in
2 patients,
1 patient. ASAS: Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society; BMI: body mass index; EARP: Early Arthritis for Psoriatic Patients questionnaire; IL: interleukin; IQR: interquartile range; NAPSI: Nail Psoriasis Severity Index; N-NAIL: Nijmegen Nail Psoriasis Activity Index; PASI: Psoriasis Area and Severity Index; PEST: Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool; PsA: psoriatic arthritis; SD: standard deviation; TNF: tumour necrosis factor; ToPAS: Toronto Psoriatic Arthritis Screen questionnaire; VAS: visual analogue scale.