Management of psoriatic arthritis by dermatologists - a German nationwide survey.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) warrants early diagnosis and treatment for optimal results. This study aimed to elucidate routine monitoring activities for PsA with concurrent psoriasis (PsO) by dermatologists to gather data on how conditions for optimal treatment are ensured. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This non-interventional, prospective, epidemiological, cross-sectional study (2016-2019) included patients with confirmed PsA from dermatologists. Descriptive statistics were conducted for center and patient characteristics as well as for data of PsA monitoring and treatment stratified by different center types. RESULTS: 212 patients from 34 office-based physicians, five non-university hospitals, and nine university hospitals were included. The majority of the PsA patients were diagnosed by a rheumatologist (> 55% in each center type) at an early or intermediate stage (> 59%). Treatment was initiated most frequently by a dermatologist (office-based physicians 69.6%, hospitals 60.9%, university hospitals 82.9%). Patients were treated with biologics more frequently in university hospitals (single therapy 43.9%, in combination with systemic therapy 26.8%) compared to private practices (single 44.6%, combination 13.5%) and non-university hospitals (single 34.8%, combination 8.7%). CONCLUSIONS: As PsA diagnosis was performed most frequently by rheumatologists whereas treatment was primarily initiated by dermatologists, an optimal collaboration between these specialists is crucial.