Updated Psoriatic Arthritis Treatment Guidelines Emphasize Treat-to-Target

New guidelines recommend that PsA patients receive treat-to-target therapy and first-line TNF inhibitors. (©ValentinT/Shutterstock.com)

New joint guidelines by the American College of Rheumatology and National Psoriasis Foundation recommend psoriatic arthritis patients receive a treat-to-target approach, first-line use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors biologics, and smoking cessation.

“Treat-to-target is key, because it encompasses all clinical scenarios, rather than one particular clinical situation. The available evidence suggests the irreversible joint damage, associated functional limitations, joint deformities and disability associated with psoriatic arthritis could possibly be avoided or delayed with optimal disease management using a targeted approach. A targeted approach can also improve pain, function and quality of life and social participation,” said Jasvinder Singh, M.D., MPH, a a rheumatologist with the University of Alabama at Birmingham who served as the lead author of the updated guidelines.

The guidelines provide evidence-based pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic recommendations on caring for treatment-naïve patients with active psoriatic arthritis and patients who continue to have active psoriatic arthritis despite treatment.

They also include recommendations for vaccinations, psoriatic spondylitis, predominant enthesitis, and treatment in the presence of inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, or serious infections.

REFERENCES

Singh JA, et al. 2018 American College of Rheumatology/National Psoriasis Foundation Guideline for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018 Nov 30. doi: 10.1002/art.40726.