Early results of an international study examining the risk of arthritis for people with psoriasis have shown a high burden of joint symptoms in 712 patients – 25% of the total studied so far. The study led by researchers at the Universities of Oxford, University College Dublin and supported by The University of Manchester has recruited almost 3,000 patients so far. But the team are still on the hunt for 2,000 more patients with psoriasis, a condition that causes flaky patches of skin covered with white scales which affects about 3% of people in the UK and Europe.
The 25% figure results confirms existing knowledge that up to a third will go on to develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which causes joints and tendons to become inflamed and painful. Professor Laura Cotes, Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, is leading the project. She said: “At the moment there is no way to predict which patients with psoriasis are likely to go on to develop joint problems.
“This research will help us to design ways to prevent people with psoriasis developing arthritis, by offering potential drug treatments or lifestyle interventions such as exercise or stress management.” Called the HIPPOCRATES Prospective Observational Study (HPOS), the online study monitors people with psoriasis over a three-year period to see who develops PsA. Participants fill in questionnaires online and send small fingerprick blood samples by prepaid post.
After launching in the UK in July 2023 the study .
