EDITORIAL - Epidemiology of psoriatic arthritis

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Journal of Rheumatology

Feb 2009

Editorial

Epidemiology of Psoriatic Arthritis

Is the epidemiology of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) truly changing? Is

the incidence indeed rising? If so, what are the possible reasons? Is

it because psoriasis is becoming more prevalent? Clearly, genetic

factors do not change over a few decades; therefore, how are

environmental factors influencing the disease? These are the questions

that spring to mind on reading the article by , et al in this

issue of The Journal1.

PsA is a form of seronegative spondyloarthritis associated with

psoriasis2. Although the occurrence of arthritis associated with

psoriasis was probably recognized as early as 1818, it was as recently

as 1964 that PsA was recognized by the American Rheumatism Association

(American College of Rheumatology) as a distinct clinical entity3. And

it was as late as 1996 that studies on prevalence and incidence of PsA

were published4. A recent review of studies undertaken to December

2006 has shown widely varying estimates of incidence and prevalence4.

While estimates obtained from studies conducted within Europe and

North America vary significantly, the most striking difference is

between Europe and Japan. The incidence in Europe and North America

ranged between 3 and 23.1 cases/105, whereas that in Japan was only

0.1 cases/105. Similarly, the prevalence in Europe and North America

ranged between 20 and 420 cases/105, but in Japan it was only 1/105.

This large difference is most likely due to differences in ethnicity,

since low prevalence of other spondyloarthropathies in Japan has also

been reported5.

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Read the entire editorial here:

http://jrheum.org/content/36/2/213.full

Not an MD