Psoriatic Arthritis (cont.)

With aggressive treatment and monitoring of both the skin and the joints, patients can have an excellent outcome. It is particularly important to begin treatments early in the course of the arthritis for best results.

There is no method to prevent psoriatic arthritis. It is best to treat the skin optimally. If treatments are under way and the disease is controlled, recurrence of disease does often occur when treatments are discontinued.

The future treatment of psoriatic arthritis will evolve as more effective and safe medicines are developed. Recently, it has been shown that vitamin D might actually improve the arthritis of psoriatic arthritis. Other areas of research involve treatment with medications that can alter the immune system of patients with psoriatic arthritis. An example of a biologic medication with promise includes ustekinumab (Stelara), which is currently in use for psoriasis. As the immune system changes and genetics are better defined in this illness, the efficacy of these medical treatments will improve.

For more information about psoriatic arthritis, please visit the following site:

National Psoriasis Foundation/USA (http://www.psoriasis.org/)

REFERENCES:

Klippel, J.H., et al. Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases. 13th ed. New York: Springer, 2008.

Koopman, William, et al., eds. Clinical Primer of Rheumatology. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003.

Ruddy, Shaun, et al., eds. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2001.