Undiagnosed Psoriatic Arthritis Prevalent in Psoriasis Patients

Study finds improved screening needed for condition.

A high number of patients with psoriasis carry undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis, according to a recent study.

Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the study noted that psoriasis precedes the onset of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in 84% of psoriasis patients. Despite the urgent need for PsA screening, the efficiency of the process is still undetermined.

To analyze the point prevalence of undiagnosed PsA in psoriasis patients, researchers examined 394 studies from PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases. None of the studies they examined sought to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed PsA in psoriasis patients, however.

The study assumed newly diagnosed PsA prevalence in psoriasis patients at the time they sought medical treatment may offer a sound estimate of this value. The researchers found 7 epidemiological studies and 5 studies on PsA screening questionnaires that clearly identified patients with newly diagnosed PsA.

The results showed the prevalence of undiagnosed PsA was 15.5% considering all studies and 10.1% when only considering epidemiological studies.

The authors concluded that a high prevalence of undiagnosed PsA in psoriasis patients underscores the recommendation that all patients with psoriasis should be screened for PsA.