It is estimated that up to 1 in 3 patients with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes inflammation and pain in the joints and tendons.
High levels of arthritis symptoms in people suffering from psoriasis indicate the results of an international study on the subject.
According to the first results of the study, 712 of the 3,000 patients enrolled in the study to date had a high burden, which is about 25% of the total number.
The 25% figure suggests that up to 1 in 3 psoriasis sufferers will develop it at some point. psoriatic arthritis causing inflammation and pain in the joints and tendons.
But as Oxford University Associate Professor Laura Coates, who led the study, points out, “There is currently no way to predict which psoriasis patients will develop joint problems.”
“This research will help us develop ways to prevent the onset of arthritis by offering possible drug treatments or through lifestyle interventions such as exercise or stress management,” he said.
It’s called online research HIPPOCRATES Prospective Observational Study (HPOS) followed people with psoriasis for three years to see who developed psoriatic arthritis.
Participants fill out questionnaires online and send small blood samples via prepaid shipping.
Following the start of the study in the UK in July 2023, the study opened for enrollment in Ireland in August 2023, Greece in February 2024 and Portugal in April 2024.
The Oxford research team is also working to expand to 12 other European countries with the aim of including 25,000 people with psoriasis.
“We know that some patients with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis. “If we can identify which patients are at higher risk of developing arthritis, it could mean that these people can receive preventive treatment in the future,” says Professor Ann Barton of the University of Manchester, referring to the aims of the study.