Use of analgesics in PsA patients warrants attention
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The use of analgesics is more common in those with psoriasis, specifically those with concomitant psoriatic arthritis, than in the general population, according to a study.
“Skin pain is increasingly recognized as an important domain in skin diseases. While skin pain is common with psoriasis, this is often assessed in combined measurements, including the general term ‘pain,’ thereby not distinguishing skin from joint pain,” Nikolai Loft, MD, of the Copenhagen Research Group for Inflammatory Skin in the department of dermatology and allergy at Copenhagen University Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “The aim of this study was to assess symptoms, disease burden and use of analgesics in patients with and without psoriatic arthritis.”
This prospective survey-based cohort study included 4,016 Danish psoriasis patients, of which 847 had concomitant psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and 3,490 reference subjects.
Mild psoriasis was self-reported by 1,574 participants (47%), while 851 (25.4%) and 923 (27.6%) had moderate and severe psoriasis, respectively.
Moderate to severe itch and/or skin pain was reported in 34% of patients with PsA and 30% of those without PsA compared with the general population, which reported median itch and skin pain scores of 0. A median joint score pain in the general population was 2, while 69% of the PsA group and 45% of the psoriasis group reported moderate to severe joint pain.
“Skin pain and itch were associated with lower general health and quality of life and joint pain was associated with the use of analgesics and impaired general health,” the authors wrote.
The use of opioids was reported by 9% of the general population, compared with 14.2% of the psoriasis patients without PsA and 22.7% of those with PsA. The use of analgesics was more common in those with PsA, as determined by a multivariate logistic regression.
“Itch, skin pain and joint pain were associated with lower quality of life and only joint pain was associated with increased use of analgesics,” the authors wrote. “Increased attention on such symptoms by physicians may be warranted to further improve management of patients with psoriasis in clinical practice.”
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts