DETECTION RATES OF PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS IN PATIENTS WITH PSORIASIS IN A DERMATOLOGY AND RHEUMATOLOGY CLINIC

Abstract

Patients and methods. The investigation included 103 psoriatic patients (47 men, 56 women; mean age, 44±13.69 years) with different clinical forms of Ps (mean duration, 10.7±10.2 years). Before being examined by a dermatologist, all the patients completed a Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (mPEST) questionnaire: its score of ≥3 was indicative of the presence of PsA and that of<3 showed its absence. All the patients were examined by a rheumatologist to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of PsA and underwent standard clinical and instrumental evaluations. The CASPAR criteria were considered to be a gold standard of PsA diagnosis.Results and discussion. According to the mPEST questionnaire data, 60 (58.2%) of the 103 patients had a mPEST of ≥3 that was an indication for suspected PsA diagnosis. The CASPAR criteria confirmed the diagnosis of PsA in 47 (45.6%) of them. 43 (41.7%) of the 103 patients had a mPEST score of <3 showing a low probability of having PsA. At the same time, PSA according to the CASPAR criteria was absent in 29 (28.2%) of them.Conclusion. For the diagnosis of PsA in patients with Ps, it is insufficient to use only the mPEST questionnaire due to the large number of underdiagnosed and overdiagnosed cases of the disease. All patients must be examined by a rheumatologist in accordance with the rheumatologic standard and the CASPAR criteria.

Keywords

• psoriasis
• psoriatic arthritis
• diagnostic problems
• early diagnosis
• rheumatologic evaluation
• screening questionnaire
• caspar criteria