Abstract

The treatment and management of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is frequently challenging. Late diagnosis, diverse musculoskeletal features including arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis and axial involvement, extra-skeletal features including psoriasis, nail dystrophic change and uveitis and co-morbidities in particular metabolic syndrome necessitate a comprehensive assessment of each patient when choosing the most appropriate therapy. It is not sufficient simply to adopt outcome measures developed for other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and while the field continues to evolve, PsA-specific assessment tools and outcome measures should be employed. In this session, appropriate instruments and outcome measures which can be used in a clinic setting will be reviewed. A new, freely available web-based tool which includes all the appropriate instruments and which calculates both Minimal Disease Activity (MDA) and Composite Psoriatic Disease Activity Index (CPDAI) will be demonstrated. In addition, current treatment guidelines and algorithms will be reviewed including Treat-to-Target guidelines. Finally, with a significant proportion of patients failing to respond adequately to targeted therapy, the presentation will conclude with a look into the future and how developments in genetics and biomarkers might assist in ensuring that our PsA patients receive the most effective and safe medication in the most time-efficient manner.