A recent study presented in early June showcased how, despite some similarities, psoriatic arthritis with axial involvement (axial PsA) patients and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients have meaningful differences. These findings were uncovered using an analysis of real-world patient data.

The Study

This study was an observational study conducted at multiple centers. Data was inputted into the CorEvitas PsA/SpA registry.

The data was gathered from March 2013 all the way to August 2020. Clinical characteristics, disease activity, treatment history, patient-reported outcomes, and enrollment visit demographics were documented for both patient populations.

There were a total of 1,044 patients in this study. Of the participants, 470 were diagnosed with PsAa and 574 participants were diagnosed with axSpA. Some notable differences are discussed below-

• More PsA patients were female
• More PsA patients were older in age
• PsA patients tended to have a shorter time since the onset of their symptoms
• PsA patients were less likely to be diagnosed with uveitis or to have had it in the past
• PsA patients were less likely to be diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease or to have had it in the past
• PsA patients were more likely to have used a biologic or conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs
• PsA patients were more likely to have higher enthesitis counts
• PsA patients were more likely to have higher dactylics counts
• PsA patients tended to have lower levels of spinal pain
• Both patient populations had similar-
  • Morning stiffness
  • Impairment scores
  • Fatigue while at work

The researchers concluded by discussing how there are differences between these two patient groups and these differences are meaningful. Although more research is needed to fully comprehend these differences, it is important to understand that these patient populations may have different experiences and therefore different needs.

You can read more about this study and its findings here.