Diagnosed in around 50 million people worldwide, the disease affects the joints and skin
Considered a systemic inflammatory disease that occurs in various organs of the body, especially joints and skin, psoriatic arthritis causes pain, joint stiffness, fatigue, and scaly lesions.
Estimates indicate that 50 million people are diagnosed with this problem worldwide, with women and men equally affected.
Second Marcello Pinheirohead of the spondyloarthritis outpatient department of the Rheumatology discipline at Unifesp/EPM and member of the Spondyloarthritis Commission of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology, psoriatic arthritis can cause serious damage to patients’ quality of life.
Therefore, he warns of the importance of early diagnosis and adequate treatment, accompanied by a specialist doctor.
“This helps reduce disease activity, maintain joint health, and control skin breakdown,” she says.
Without treatment, the condition can cause joint damage to the development of irreversible deformities, and surgical procedures are sometimes required to place prostheses and joint realignment.
TREATMENT
Data show that psoriatic arthritis affects about 30 percent of patients diagnosed with psoriasis, an immune system-related skin disease that has no cure. However, it is worth noting that it is possible for joint pain to start before the skin lesions, which makes diagnosis difficult.
More often than not, rheumatologists are responsible for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, and the choice of drug management depends on the affected structures in each patient. Anti-inflammatories, systemic and biological remedies can be prescribed alone or in combination.
Recently, Anvisa approved a new drug for the treatment of this condition: risankizumab, an inhibitor of interleukin 23 (IL-23), a molecule involved in the inflammatory processes linked to some immune-mediated diseases, such as psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The patient receives this drug through a subcutaneous injection, under a doctor’s prescription.
For the approval, Anvisa relied on two Phase 3 clinical trials, which demonstrated that the drug achieved the primary outcome of ACR20 response (the lead indicator used in studies to assess response to a rheumatology drug). Furthermore, it has also proved to be very interesting for treating other clinical manifestations of psoriatic arthritis, improving the quality of life of the affected persons.
Importantly, this is the second approved indication for risankizumab. The first was for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
