Dr. Mireia Moreno, coordinator of the Spondyloarthritis Working Group (GRESSER) of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER), has emphasized the relevance of properly recognizing the manifestations of psoriatic arthritis, given that its diagnosis, "on occasion, continues to be delayed for years".
According to her, the prevalence of this disease in the adult population in Spain "stands at 0.58 percent, which is equivalent to more than 230,000 people, a significant figure to which attention must be paid and emphasis placed on improving early diagnosis", while she also underscored the importance of starting treatment as soon as possible "to reduce the risk of joint damage and preserve quality of life".
On the occasion of World Psoriatic Arthritis Day, which is commemorated this Thursday, October 29, and which focuses on a chronic inflammatory pathology capable of causing lesions in the joints, the spinal column, the tendons and other structures of the musculoskeletal system, the specialist recalled that "it is estimated to affect one third of people with psoriasis, although it can appear at different times in life and present very different symptoms among patients".
Moreno stressed that "diagnostic delay continues to be one of the main challenges", since, "according to a survey of patients by Acción Psoriasis, the delay can be around four years", and added that "other estimates collected point to average delays that can reach five years". In her view, "even shorter delays can be associated with a greater risk of structural damage and lower chances of achieving an adequate therapeutic response".
BLOCKING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISEASE
The rheumatologist also pointed out that "another of the current challenges focuses on trying to block its development, which is why it is necessary to share knowledge between Rheumatology and Dermatology". For this reason, she emphasized "the need to address the different manifestations of each person, control inflammatory activity and associated diseases, as well as also consider the psychological and work-related impact".
Along this line, Moreno has emphasized that "there are also differences between women and men in the presentation of the disease and in their response to treatment", pointing out that "some research describes greater diagnostic delay and a greater symptom burden in women".
Likewise, she has detailed that in recent years knowledge of the transition between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis has deepened and therapies directed at different inflammatory targets have been incorporated. Nevertheless, she has warned that, "although these advances offer new options, it is still necessary to better identify who will develop the disease, predict the response to treatments and improve the approach to patients who do not respond adequately".
To conclude, the expert has explained that current lines of research are oriented toward an increasingly earlier intervention, even in phases prior to the appearance of evident clinical signs, with the purpose of acting before structural damage occurs and advancing toward a more complete and sustained control of the disease.