Patient Perspective on the Burden of Skin and Joint Symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis: Results of a Multi-National Patient Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and psoriasis (PsO) have a significant impact on HRQOL and work productivity loss. In patients with both PsA and PsO, the full extent of the physical and emotional burden of joint- and skin-related symptoms is less understood from the patient perspective.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study of PsO patients with PsA from the US, France, and Germany was conducted using an online survey. Data on demographics, PsO severity by patient-reported body surface area involvement (BSA), PsA severity by RAPID3, impact of PsO and PsA using Patient Global Assessment (1-5), and novel questions exploring the emotional burden of joint/skin-related symptoms were collected. Multivariate regression analyses examined severity of joint and skin symptoms as predictors of quality of life (QoL), measured by PsAQoL, and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI).

RESULTS: Of the 439 patients, 23.9% had mild (RAPID3 of 0-2) and 76.1% had moderate-severe PsA (RAPID3 of 2.1-10), while 51% had mild and 49% had moderate-severe PsO (≥ 3 palms of the hand for BSA). Multivariate analyses showed that severity of joint symptoms was strongly associated with lower QoL (t = 13.15), followed by impact of skin symptoms (t = 5.11), and age (t = - 4.73), all p < 0.0001. About 57% of all patients reported a DLQI > 5, indicating a moderate-to-extremely large effect of psoriasis on HRQoL. Joint severity and impact of joint symptoms were the strongest predictors of WPAI. Patients also associated skin and/or joint symptoms with a variety of emotions and QoL measures that were not captured on the validated scales (fatigue, how they think of themselves, how others thought of them, making a first impression etc.).

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, both skin and joint symptoms had a broad, meaningful impact on patient QoL, work productivity, daily activities, and emotional well-being. These data highlighted the unique and significant impact of PsA among patients with PsO.

FUNDING: Eli Lilly and Company.