Hot Topics in Psoriatic Arthritis

May 15, 2018

Among the hot topics at the 2018 British Society for Rheumatology Annual Conference: a novel radiographic scoring system and cardiovascular risk assessment based on PsA subtype.

References1. Bahadur S, Zavareh A, Kirkham B. A novel scoring system using hand/feet radiographs to differentiate psoriatic arthritis from osteoarthritis. Presented at: British Society for Rheumatology Annual Conference; May 1-3, 2018; Liverpool, UK.2. Hassan N, Bradley M, Davies R, Choy E. Cardiovascular risk in clinical subtypes of psoriatic arthritis. Presented at: British Society for Rheumatology Annual Conference; May 1-3, 2018; Liverpool, UK.

Two studies recently presented at the British Society for Rheumatology Annual Conference in Liverpool, UK, focus on hot topics in psoriatic arthritis (PsA)^1,2:
1. A novel scoring system that differentiates PsA from osteoarthritis (OA)
2. Assessment of cardiovascular risk in the various subtypes of PsA

Thumb through the slides for the details of the two studies and the take-home points for physicians.

The authors also taught this method over a 1-hour period to one radiology and two rheumatology trainees, who then independently assessed the same radiographs.

Forty-two patients with PsA and 23 with OA from the group were additionally evaluated by a radiologist who was blind to the clinical diagnosis.

Notably, two with NOA who subsequently developed PsA several years later, and one with RA initially misclassified as PsA, were correctly identified by the radiologist.

NOA, nodal osteoarthritis; PsA, psoriatic arthritis.