Radiographic structural damage & psoriatic arthritis

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This study examined the association between radiographic structural damage and physical function (PF) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA)

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Objective:
To examine the association between radiographic structural damage and physical function (PF) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods:
Data were analyzed from a large longitudinal PsA cohort. PF was measured using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ, 0-3) and Short Form-36 PF subscale (SF-36, 0-100); radiographic joint damage using modified Steinbrocker score (mSS, 0-168). Associations between PF and mSS were analyzed using linear mixed models. We also evaluated the impact of presence of any damaged joint (grade 2-4), joint damage by individual grades, and number of damaged joints (grade 2-4) per patient on PF.

Results:
Of 1177 patients (mean age 44.61 ± 12.76 years; 55.8% males), baseline mSS was 2 (IQR 0-8.5), HAQ 0.62 (0.12-1.12), and SF-36 PF 60 (35-85). Higher mSS was significantly associated with worse SF-36 PF (β= -0.10; 95%СI -0.15, -0.05) and HAQ (0.003; 0.002, 0.004) after controlling for swollen joint count, sex, and disease duration. The number of damaged joints was associated with worse SF-36 PF (-0.23; -0.38, -0.08) and HAQ (0.005; 0.002, 0.009). The presence of a damaged joint (grade 2-4) alone didn't impact PF. However, the presence of a joint with grade-4 destruction was associated with substantially worse SF-36 PF (-3.04; -5.93, -0.15) and HAQ (0.09; 0.03, 0.15). Increasing counts of grade-4 joints demonstrated a strong dose response with SF-36 PF (-0.54; -0.81, -0.26) and HAQ (0.01; 0.01, 0.02).

Conclusion:
Radiographic structural damage, particularly severe joint destruction, is independently associated with impaired PF in PsA, highlighting the importance of early detection and prevention of damage.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com

*Funding: Early view funding unknown