Development of a New Referral Tool to Identify Psoriasis Patients with Concomitant Psoriatic Arthritis: Results of the Prospective DAPPER Cohort.

Patients with psoriasis are at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis, which can lead to joint damage. While screening questionnaires have been developed, their performance varies. The objective of this study was to develop a referral tool for dermatologists to identify psoriasis patients with concomitant psoriatic arthritis for rheumatological referral. This study used data from the DAPPER study, in which psoriasis patients were screened by a rheumatologist for the presence of concomitant psoriatic arthritis. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify predictive variables for the presence of concomitant psoriatic arthritis: treatment history with conventional systemic drugs (odds ratio (OR) 2.97, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01-8.74, p = 0.04), treatment history with biologicals/small molecule inhibitors (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.52-5.53, p = 0.01), patient-reported history of joint pain not caused by trauma (OR 4.23, 95% CI 1.21-14.79, p = 0.01), patient-reported history of swollen joints (OR 4.25, 95% CI 2.17-8.32, p < 0.001), and patient-reported history of sausage-like swollen digits (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.25-4.55, p = 0.01). Based on these variables, a referral tool was created with an area under the curve of 0.82. This referral tool could be used to aid dermatologists to identify psoriasis patients with concomitant psoriatic arthritis, who may benefit from rheumatological referral.

Discovery of Psoriatic Arthritis in Psoriasis Patients for Early Rheumatological Referral (DAPPER) Study: A Prospective Observational Cohort.

Patients with psoriasis are at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis, which can lead to irreversible joint damage. However, a proportion of patients with psoriasis and concomitant psoriatic arthritis remain undiscovered in practice. The aims of this study were: to prospectively determine prevalence, characteristics, and disease burden of psoriatic arthritis in a psoriasis population; and to determine the prevalence and characteristics of patients with active psoriatic arthritis, who were not under rheumatological care. Patients with psoriasis were screened by a rheumatologist at the dermatology outpatient clinic for psoriatic arthritis. Patients with suspected active psoriatic arthritis who were not seeing a rheumatologist were referred to a rheumatologist for confirmation. The total prevalence of psoriatic arthritis in this observational, prospective cohort (n = 303) was 24%. Patients with psoriasis with concomitant psoriatic arthritis had longer duration of skin disease and more often a treatment history with systemic therapies. In this academic, specialized, setting, 2.3% of patients (n = 7), were not receiving rheumatological care despite having active psoriatic arthritis. These patients were characterized by a combination of low (perceived) disease burden and low yield of screening questionnaires, making it difficult for dermatologists to discover psoriatic arthritis in these patients. Thus, screening for more subtle active arthritis in patients with psoriasis in a dermatology setting could be improved.

Transungual Excision of Glomus Tumors: A Treatment and Quality of Life Study.

BACKGROUND: Glomus tumors are rare benign painful tumors, frequently found in the subungual region. Complete surgical excision is essential for relief of symptoms. The main postoperative complications are tumor recurrence and nail dystrophy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term outcome and the impact on quality of life (QoL) of glomus tumors after a transungual approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Twenty-six patients underwent transungual excision of subungual glomus tumors. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to evaluate the postoperative outcome. Glomus tumor-related QoL was investigated using modified nail psoriasis (NPQ10) and onychomycosis questionnaires. RESULTS: A response rate of 85% was achieved. After a mean follow-up of 63 months after transungual excision of the tumor, the mean Numeric Pain Rating Score had improved from 7.9 (±SD 1.8) preoperatively, to 0.8 (±SD 1.9) (p < .000). Quality of life improved significantly: the mean NPQ10-score improved from 5.5 (±SD 3.4) to 0.64 (±SD 2.1) (p < .000). Nail-related sequelae were not reported in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that glomus tumors cause impairment on QoL, mostly due to severe pain. Surgical excision with the transungual approach is an effective treatment, without permanent damage to the nail unit that gives relief of pain and improves QoL.

Recommendations for the definition, evaluation, and treatment of nail psoriasis in adult patients with no or mild skin psoriasis: A dermatologist and nail expert group consensus.

Nail involvement in psoriasis is common, and the severity of it does not always parallel the intensity of cutaneous disease. We created a consensus group, of which the aim was to provide practical recommendations for the treatment of nail psoriasis in patients without skin psoriasis or with mild skin lesions with no indication for a systemic treatment. This collaborative process was conducted by an international panel of dermatologists with special expertise in nail disorders, using formal consensus methods. During this process, the panel strived to establish an agreement regarding the definition of nail psoriasis, the severity of nail psoriasis, and treatment response. Treatment recommendations are provided regarding nail psoriasis severity and matrix or bed involvement. Few-nail disease was considered as nail psoriasis affecting ≤3 nails. In the case of matrix involvement only, intralesional steroid injections were considered the treatment of choice. Topical steroids alone or in combination with topical vitamin D analogues were suggested for nail psoriasis limited to the nail bed. For the systemic treatment of nail psoriasis acitretin, methotrexate, cyclosporine, small molecules, and biologics may be employed.

Nail Involvement as a Predictor of Disease Severity in Paediatric Psoriasis: Follow-up Data from the Dutch ChildCAPTURE Registry.

Little is known about the relationship between nail psoriasis and psoriasis severity in children, and there has been no longitudinal assessment of psoriasis severity related to nail psoriasis. The aim of this study was to assess whether nail psoriasis could serve as a predictor for a more severe disease course. De-identified data were obtained from the ChildCAPTURE registry, a daily clinical practice cohort of children with psoriasis, from September 2008 to November 2015. Cross-sectional analyses were performed at baseline. Longitudinal data until 2-year follow-up were analysed by linear mixed models. Nail psoriasis was present in 19.0% of all 343 patients at baseline and cross-sectionally associated with higher Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) (p = 0.033). Longitudinal analysis demonstrated higher PASI (p <0.001) during 2-year follow-up in patients with nail involvement at baseline. These findings suggest that nail psoriasis is a potential clinical predictor for more severe disease course over time in paediatric psoriasis.

Nail Involvement in Alopecia Areata: A Questionnaire-based Survey on Clinical Signs, Impact on Quality of Life and Review of the Literature.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an immune-mediated disease causing temporary or permanent hair loss. Up to 46% of patients with AA also have nail involvement. The aim of this study was to determine the presence, types, and clinical implications of nail changes in patients with AA. This questionnaire-based survey evaluated 256 patients with AA. General demographic variables, specific nail changes, nail-related quality of life (QoL), and treatment history and need were evaluated. Prevalence of nail involvement in AA was 64.1%. The specific nail signs reported most frequently were pitting (29.7%, p = 0.008) and trachyonychia (18.0%). Red spots on the lunula were less frequent (5.1%), but very specific for severe AA. Nail-related QoL was only minimally affected by nail changes. In conclusion, nail involvement is common in patients with AA and presents mostly with pitting and trachyonychia. The presence of these nail changes reflects the severity of the disease, with red spots on the lunula as a predictor for severe alopecia.

Subclinical enthesitis in nail psoriasis patients: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with nail psoriasis have a higher prevalence of psoriatic arthritis; however, the pathogenetic relationship between these two disorders is as yet unclear. Entheses have been suggested as disease epicenter, which might explain the pathogenesis on an anatomical level. OBJECTIVE: To contribute to the elucidation of the hypothesis as regards the anatomical link between nail psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, with the extensor enthesis of the distal interphalangeal joint as the epicenter. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional cohort study, visualizing the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints entheses of patients with fingernail psoriasis (n = 54), psoriasis patients without nail involvement (n = 32), and healthy controls (n = 32) using three-dimensional ultrasound. Patients with nail psoriasis underwent repeat imaging studies after one year. RESULTS: Individuals with nail psoriasis had significantly thicker radial entheses than psoriasis patients without nail involvement. However, there were no significant differences in entheseal thickness between adjacent nails that were affected and those that were not (1.297 mm vs. 1.253 mm, p = 0.13). Follow-up after one year showed no significant differences in entheseal thickness in correlation with nail psoriasis activity. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence for subclinical enthesitis at the level of the DIP joint in patients with nail psoriasis. However, an anatomical correlation between nail psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis could not be confirmed.

Scoring nail psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Scoring systems are indispensable in evaluating the severity of disease and monitoring treatment response. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the competence of various nail psoriasis severity scoring systems and to develop a new scoring system. METHODS: The authors conducted a prospective, observational, single-point study of 36 patients given the diagnosis of fingernail psoriasis. Seven scoring systems were evaluated: Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI), modified NAPSI, target NAPSI, Psoriasis Nail Severity Score, Nail Area Severity, Baran, and Cannavò et al. All tools were correlated with the Physician Global Assessment. Obtained information was integrated into the Nijmegen-Nail psoriasis Activity Index tooL (N-NAIL), and interrater and intrarater reliability was assessed. RESULTS: Physician Global Assessment showed an acceptable correlation with the scoring system designed by Baran (r = 0.735, P < .01) and the Psoriasis Nail Severity Score (r = 0.734, P < .01). Target NAPSI showed low correlation (r = 0.203, P > .05). The correlation between Physician Global Assessment and the N-NAIL was 0.861 (P < .01). Excellent agreement was found for the intrarater and interrater reliability of the N-NAIL. LIMITATIONS: Sample size was limited. CONCLUSION: An adequate nail psoriasis scoring system is needed, as studies of treatments for nail psoriasis are on the horizon. Clinical severity of nail psoriasis was best reflected by the N-NAIL, followed by the Baran system and the Psoriasis Nail Severity Score.

The impact of fingernail psoriasis on patients' health-related and disease-specific quality of life.

BACKGROUND: The impact of various dermatological conditions on quality of life (QoL) has been extensively studied, however the impact of nail psoriasis on QoL is an underexplored area. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of fingernail psoriasis on patients' QoL. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study using validated questionnaires concerning QoL (SF-36, modified onychomycosis questionnaire) was performed in 49 patients with fingernail psoriasis. RESULTS: The mean SF-36 scores for fingernail psoriasis patients were comparable to the mean scores of the Dutch reference population. However, mean scores on the modified onychomycosis QoL questionnaire for all domains were reduced. Localisation, gender and duration of nail psoriasis influenced the impact of nail psoriasis on patients' QoL. CONCLUSION: Fingernail psoriasis can interfere with patients' social, mental and physical well-being. Assessing patients' QoL in daily practice offers the opportunity of a patient-centred approach to treatment.

Telemedicine in Nail Psoriasis: Validation of a New Tool to Monitor (In-Person, In-Picture, and In-Video) Nail Psoriasis Severity in Patients with Concurrent Onychophagia and Onychotillomania.

INTRODUCTION: Since during the COVID-19 pandemic nail psoriasis was evaluated exclusively with teledermatology, dermatologists started to face the difficulty in rating it concurrent with other onycopathies (i.e., onychotillomania and onychophagy). Thus, we aimed to improve the existing severity scores and verify the value in different clinical settings (i.e., in person vs. teledermatology (video or picture)). METHODS: This multicenter prospective observational study evaluated patients with nail psoriasis and screened them for onychophagy or onychotillomania in telemedicine from May 2020 to January 2021. For therapeutic purposes patients with nail psoriasis were followed and rated with the Nijmegen-Nail psoriasis Activity Index tooL (N-NAIL) for 9 months; at the same time, N-NAIL and a new dedicated index that monitor also the changes in nail dimension (Galeazzi-(G) N-NAIL) were tested for accuracy. We assessed inter- and intraobserver agreement for the three different settings (in person, video, and pictures). RESULTS: In our cohort of 382 patients with nail psoriasis after a clinical and dermatoscopic assessment we found 20 (5.24%) patients with onychophagy and 17 (4.45%) patients with onychotillomania. Analysis of the impact of nail psoriasis on patients revealed that onycholysis and crumbing, followed by subungual hyperkeratosis, were the clinical signs that prevalently bothered patients. N-NAIL score displayed moderate intra- and interobserver agreement. Over the 9 months follow-up, N-NAIL vs. GN-NAIL displayed a solid correlation at all the examined time points, i.e., baseline and after 3, 6, and 9 months. CONCLUSION: We created a new tool, the GN-NAIL capable of efficiently scoring nail psoriasis severity in complex cases, such as patients with onychotillomania and onychophagy, and monitor response to treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fingernail psoriasis reconsidered: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Literature concerning clinical signs and frequency of nail psoriasis is incomplete. Recent studies focus only on signs included in the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI). OBJECTIVE: We sought to describe clinical characteristics of fingernail psoriasis in comparison with healthy controls. METHODS: We collected data on 49 patients with fingernail psoriasis who visited our outpatient department and 49 control subjects, through questionnaires and clinical examination. The disease severity was measured by the NAPSI. RESULTS: Mean NAPSI score in patients and control subjects was 26.6 and 3.6, respectively. Most items included in the NAPSI were specific for nail psoriasis. Onycholysis and splinter hemorrhages were most frequently observed. Leukonychia was more frequent in control subjects. Longitudinal ridges and Beau lines are not included in the NAPSI but are significantly more frequently seen in patients than in control subjects. LIMITATIONS: Limited sample size was a limitation. CONCLUSION: The NAPSI was able to discriminate patients with fingernail psoriasis from healthy control subjects. Onycholysis and splinter hemorrhages were the most prevalent fingernail changes in psoriatic patients. Leukonychia was more frequently observed in control subjects, which raises the question of whether leukonychia should remain in the NAPSI. On the other hand, longitudinal ridges and Beau lines occurred more frequently in psoriasis but are not included in the NAPSI.

Interventions for nail psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a common skin disease that can also involve the nails. All parts of the nail and surrounding structures can become affected. The incidence of nail involvement increases with duration of psoriasis. Although it is difficult to treat psoriatic nails, the condition may respond to therapy. OBJECTIVES: To assess evidence for the efficacy and safety of the treatments for nail psoriasis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following databases up to March 2012: the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (from 1946), EMBASE (from 1974), and LILACS (from 1982). We also searched trials databases and checked the reference lists of retrieved studies for further references to relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs). SELECTION CRITERIA: All RCTs of any design concerning interventions for nail psoriasis. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed trial risk of bias and extracted the data. We collected adverse effects from the included studies.   MAIN RESULTS: We included 18 studies involving 1266 participants. We were not able to pool due to the heterogeneity of many of the studies.Our primary outcomes were 'Global improvement of nail psoriasis as rated by a clinician', 'Improvement of nail psoriasis scores (NAS, NAPSI)', 'Improvement of nail psoriasis in the participant's opinion'. Our secondary outcomes were 'Adverse effects (and serious adverse effects)'; 'Effects on quality of life'; and 'Improvement in nail features, pain score, nail thickness, thickness of subungual hyperkeratosis, number of affected nails, and nail growth'. We assessed short-term (3 to 6 months), medium-term (6 to 12 months), and long-term (> 12 months) treatments separately if possible.Two systemic biologic studies and three radiotherapy studies reported significant results for our first two primary outcomes. Infliximab 5 mg/kg showed 57.2% nail score improvement versus -4.1% for placebo (P < 0.001); golimumab 50 mg and 100 mg showed 33% and 54% improvement, respectively, versus 0% for placebo (P < 0.001), both after medium-term treatment. Infliximab and golimumab also showed significant results after short-term treatment. From the 3 radiotherapy studies, only the superficial radiotherapy (SRT) study showed 20% versus 0% nail score improvement (P = 0.03) after short-term treatment.Studies with ciclosporin, methotrexate, and ustekinumab were not significantly better than their respective comparators: etretinate, ciclosporin, and placebo. Nor were studies with topical interventions (5-fluorouracil 1% in Belanyx® lotion, tazarotene 0.1% cream, calcipotriol 50 ug/g, calcipotriol 0.005%) better than their respective comparators: Belanyx® lotion, clobetasol propionate, betamethasone dipropionate with salicylic acid, or betamethasone dipropionate.Of our secondary outcomes, not all included studies reported adverse events; those that did only reported mild adverse effects, and there were more in studies with systemic interventions. Only one study reported the effect on quality of life, and two studies reported nail improvement only per feature. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Infliximab, golimumab, SRT, grenz rays, and electron beam caused significant nail improvement compared to the comparative treatment. Although the quality of trials was generally poor, this review may have some implications for clinical practice.Although powerful systemic treatments have been shown to be beneficial, they may have serious adverse effects. So they are not a realistic option for people troubled with nail psoriasis, unless the patient is prescribed these systemic treatments because of cutaneous psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis or the nail psoriasis is severe, refractory to other treatments, or has a major impact on the person's quality of life. Because of their design and timescale, RCTs generally do not pick up serious side-effects. This review reported only mild adverse effects, recorded mainly for systemic treatments. Radiotherapy for psoriasis is not used in common practice. The evidence for the use of topical treatments is inconclusive and of poor quality; however, this does not imply that they do not work.Future trials need to be rigorous in design, with adequate reporting. Trials should correctly describe the participants' characteristics and diagnostic features, use standard validated nail scores and participant-reported outcomes, be long enough to report efficacy and safety, and include details of effects on nail features.

Leukonychia: What Can White Nails Tell Us?

Changes in nail color can provide important clues of underlying systemic and skin disease. In particular, white discoloration (leukonychia) has a high prevalence with a wide array of potential relevant causes, from simple manicure habits to life-threatening liver or kidney failure. Therefore, a reliable assessment of the patient with leukonychia is essential. In the past, two classifications for leukonychia have been presented. The morphological classifies the nail according to the distribution of the white lines: total, partial, transversal, and longitudinal leukonychia. Mees' and Muehrcke's lines are examples of transversal leukonychia, while Terry's and Lindsay's nails are examples of total and partial leukonychia. The anatomical classifies according to the structure responsible for the white color: the nail plate in true leukonychia, the nail bed in apparent leukonychia, and the surface only in pseudoleukonychia. In this review, both morphological and anatomical features have been combined in an algorithm that enables clinicians to approach leukonychia efficiently and effectively.

[Nail disorders in daily practice]. / Nagelafwijkingen in de dagelijkse praktijk.

Familiarity with common nail disorders enables the clinician to diagnose and treat nail disorders and to recognize red-flag conditions. Knowledge of the anatomy of the nail unit is essential to understand the origin of nail disorders. This article focuses on neoplasms, abnormalities of nail color and shape, infections, and inflammatory conditions of the nail unit. There are various neoplasms of and around the nail unit, like squamous cell carcinoma (in situ), melanoma, and benign neoplasms such as mucous cyst, subungual exostosis, glomus tumor, onychopapilloma and fibro(kerato)ma. The most common deviating colors of the nail are red, white and brown-black. Abnormalities of nail color and shape may indicate an underlying systemic disease. Infections of the nail unit include onychomycosis, acute paronychia, pseudomonas nail infection and verruca vulgaris. The inflammatory conditions we discuss in this article are chronic paronychia, psoriasis, alopecia areata and lichen planus.

Bacterial and Viral Infections of the Nail Unit.

Bacterial and viral infections of the nail unit are very common as primary infections, especially bacterial paronychia and warts, but they can also be superinfections complicating other nail disorders. In many nail unit infections, the clinical presentation is nonspecific: in these cases, diagnostic tests are mandatory before treatment, to avoid spread of the infection and drug resistance. The most common forms of bacterial and viral infections that may affect the nail unit are herein described in detail, with diagnostic and treatment options provided.

[A woman with discoloration of her fingernail]. / Een vrouw met een verkleurde vingernagel.

A 34-year-old woman visited the general practitioner with a longitudinal brown pigment stripe on her fingernail (melanonychia striata). Histopathological research revealed melanin pigment increase based on lentigo (benign).

Discovery of Arthritis in Psoriasis Patients for Early Rheumatological Referral (DAPPER): Protocol for a Longitudinal Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: One in three patients with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA). If left untreated, this can lead to pain, impaired function, and irreversible joint damage. Timely recognition and referral to a rheumatologist are therefore key. However, current methods used to screen patients with psoriasis for those who might benefit from referral to a rheumatologist are not performing well enough. OBJECTIVE: The Discovery of Arthritis in Psoriasis Patients for Early Rheumatological Referral (DAPPER) study is designed to determine the prevalence of PsA in a psoriasis population and to find parameters that can be used to develop a new or enhance an existing instrument for a rheumatological referral. METHODS: DAPPER is a longitudinal observational study with a 1-year follow-up. Patients with psoriasis (N=300) who are treated at an outpatient dermatological clinic will be screened extensively for signs and symptoms of PsA by a trained rheumatologist. If there is clinical suspicion of PsA and the patient is not yet treated by a rheumatologist, referral to the Department of Rheumatology will follow for confirmation of the diagnosis and further care. After 1 year, data on changes in quality of life and PsA and psoriasis disease activity will be collected from the referred patients. The screening visit will be used to gather demographical and medical data, which can later be used to develop the aforementioned screening instrument. RESULTS: Inclusion started in June 2019 and finished in June 2021. Follow-up with newly discovered patients with PsA is ongoing. CONCLUSIONS: The DAPPER study is specifically designed to improve the detection of existing PsA in a dermatologic outpatient setting. Although internal validity will be tested, external validity will have to be checked using a second validation cohort. To predict the development of PsA in the future, longitudinal/prospective data collection is required and will be performed in a follow-up study (DAPPER-i). TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial Register NTR7604; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7397. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/31647.

The universal detection of antigens from one skin biopsy specimen.

BACKGROUND: Immunohistochemistry is an important tool in dermatology but is limited. Certain antigens can only be preserved in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections, while others can only be detected on frozen sections, resulting in situations where two biopsies are needed. We aimed to develop a technique for universal detection of different antigens out of just one biopsy specimen. METHODS: Single biopsies were obtained from lesional skin of patients with psoriasis. Standard sample procedures for frozen and paraffin-embedded sections were used. To convert frozen tissue into paraffin-embedded sections, the biopsy specimen was disposed of the embedding medium and subsequently fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin. We applied various antigen retrieval techniques with alkaline solutions. The differential expression of keratin 10, keratin 15, CD3, CD26 and human beta defensin-2 (HBD-2) was examined using immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: We showed that keratin 10 and 15 can be stained on both frozen and paraffin-embedded sections. Staining of paraffin-embedded sections required unmasking with trypsin and Tris-buffered saline Tween solution, respectively. CD3 and CD26 can only be detected on frozen sections, while HBD-2 can only be detected on paraffin-embedded sections. CONCLUSION: We have described a straightforward technique that gives us the opportunity to use just one biopsy specimen to obtain frozen sections as well as paraffin-embedded sections.