Korean J Intern Med.  2024 Jan;39(1):184-193. 10.3904/kjim.2023.044.

Characteristics of patients with psoriatic arthritis in Korea: focusing on axial involvement

• Park H
• Lee JH
• Kwok SK
• Ju JH
• Kim WU
• Park SH
• Lee JJ

• KMID: 2550051
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2023.044

Abstract

Background/Aims
We aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in Korean patients focusing on PsA with axial involvement.
Methods
A retrospective medical chart review was performed to identify PsA patients at a single tertiary center. Cases of AS patients with psoriasis were recruited from a prospective AS registry of the same center. Demographics, laboratory findings, and radiologic characteristics were assessed.
Results
A total of 69 PsA patients were identified. In PsA patients, spondylitis (46.4%) was the most common form. Compared to AS patients with psoriasis, PsA patients with radiographic axial involvement were older (50.9 vs. 32.4 years; p < 0.001) and showed greater peripheral disease activity (peripheral arthritis 78.1 vs. 12.5%, p < 0.001; enthesitis 50.0 vs. 6.3%, p = 0.003). AS patients with psoriasis presented a higher rate of HLA-B*27 positivity (81.3 vs. 17.2%; p < 0.001) and a more frequent history of inflammatory back pain (100.0 vs. 75.0%; p = 0.039) than PsA patients with radiographic axial involvement. Significant proportions of PsA patients with radiographic axial involvement had cervical spine involvement (10/18, 55.6%) and spondylitis without sacroiliitis (10/23, 43.5%).
Conclusions
We demonstrate that axial involvement is common in Korean PsA patients, and its characteristics can be distinct from those of AS.

Keyword

Psoriatic arthritis; Ankylosing spondylitis; Sacroiliitis; Osteophyte