Reumatizam, Vol. 64 No. suppl. 1, 2017.
Review article
MEASURING DISEASE ACTIVITY IN PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS
Višnja Prus
Dražen Bedeković
Abstract
Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is an infl ammatory rheumatic disease predominantly aff ecting joints and skin as well as
other organ systems. Th e “treat to target“ concept and the attempt to achieve strict disease control implies the usage of
a measuring instruments for the evaluation of disease activity and assessment of treatment eff ectiveness in routine
clinical practice as well as in clinical studies. Initially, measuring instruments designed for other diseases, primarily for
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondylarthritis (SpA), were used. During the past decade, initiated by the Group for
Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) and the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology
Clinical Trials (OMERACT), specifi c composite measures of disease activity which include diff erent domains of PsA,
have been introduced. Th ere is a tendency to evaluate and categorize disease activity as high, moderate, low, and
minimal, while remission is still not well defi ned in respect of the highly heterogeneous clinical presentation and
course of the disease. Th e application of specifi c disease activity measures and indexes in routine clinical practice is
desirable and necessary, but is diffi cult to achieve due to their complexity and the time required for implementation.
Further eff orts by expert groups are focused on a better validation and standardization of instruments for measuring
and monitoring PsA activity as well as treatment eff ectiveness in reaching the treatment goal, which is minimal disease
activity, with the ultimate goal of achieving and defi ning remission.
Keywords
Arthritis, psoriatic – diagnosis, pathology, psychology; Severity of illness index; Health status; Qulity of life; Patient outcome assessment; Treatment outcome; Surveys and questionnaires
Hrčak ID:
188337
URI
Publication date:
25.10.2017.
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