Keep up-to-date onpsoriatic arthritis (PsA)research with our brief research summaries.
Enthesitis and Dactylitis Associated With Greater Disease Burden
The presence ofdactylitis– inflammation of the fingers and/or toes – and enthesitis – inflammation of the sites where the tendons or ligaments insert into the bone – can have important implications for people with PsA. A study of 1,567 PsA patients found that, overall, those with dactylitis or enthesitis had greater disease activity.
Additionally those with enthesitis had worse functional status, reported more pain and fatigue and were more likely to have work impairment. The study’s authors say their findings underscore the importance of identifying, assessing and managing enthesitis and dactylitis in people with PsA.
Source: Arthritis Care & Research, April 2017
Eye Surgery Likely Safe in People With Well-controlled PsA
Excimer laser surgery, including LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy (PK), has improved vision for countless individuals. But doctors have avoided the procedure in people with autoimmune diseases. A study of 622 people (1224 eyes) with PsA or other autoimmune diseases suggests that for those with well controlled disease, the surgery is both effective and safe. At an average follow up of 10.9 months after surgery, vision was 20/20 or greater in more than half of treated eyes and there was no noted activation of disease.
Source: Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Dec 2016
New Biologic Shows Promise for Uncontrolled PsA
People with PsA that was not well controlled by TNF inhibitors experienced significant relief in symptoms when given the experimental biologic ixekizumab in a multi-center phase-III clinical trial. In the 24-week trial of more than 300 adults from 109 centers, over half of the participants receiving ixekizumab experienced at least a 20% reduction in the number of tender and swollen joints, significantly outperforming the placebo. Ixekizumab targets an inflammatory cytokine called interleukin-17A.
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