Key clinical point: Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), except those with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (≥10 mg/L) and radiographic sacroiliac involvement, generally had a very low likelihood of developing syndesmophytes.
Major finding: At 2 years of follow-up, the majority (~90%) of patients showed no new syndesmophyte development, with syndesmophyte development being reported in only 11 patients. The probability of developing vs not developing syndesmophytes increased numerically by 3 and 14 times in patients with radiographic sacroiliitis and in those with radiographic sacroiliitis plus elevated CRP levels, respectively.
Study details: Findings are from an analysis of the data of 150 patients with PsA from the Belgian Epidemiological Psoriatic Arthritis Study (BEPAS) trial who had baseline and 2-year follow-up radiographs available.
Disclosures: The BEPAS trial was funded by MSD Belgium. Some authors declared receiving consultancy fees, speaker fees, or research grants from or having other ties with various sources, including MSD.
Source: de Hooge M et al. Specific descriptions of axial involvement are associated with radiographic damage development after 2 years in psoriatic arthritis patients. Ann Rheum Dis. 2023 (Nov 2). doi: 10.1136/ard-2023-224501