Evaluating ultrasound confirmed enthesitis as a predictive marker for response to biologic therapy in psoriatic arthritis

It is a heterogeneous condition that can cause long lasting joint damage and morbidity. It now has a range of effective treatments, in particular the biologic agents for moderate to severe disease.

There is however no effective biomarkers that can predict response or allow us to decide between biologic treatments based on the musculoskeletal manifestations of psoriatic disease.<br><br>An enthesis is the site where the tendon, ligament or joint capsule inserts into the bone to facilitate joint motion. Enthesitis is inflammation at these sites, causing pain and is a hallmark of psoriatic arthritis. It appears to be an aspect of the disease that is implicated in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and prognosis of Psoriatic Arthritis but is understudied.<br><br>This thesis aimed to better understand psoriatic arthritis and its response to treatment with the linking of clinical assessment, imaging and proteomic analysis.<br><br>To achieve these aims a clinical study was carried out (Psoriatic Arthritis UltraSound of enthesitis study - PsAUSe) in which patients were assessed with psoriatic arthritis before starting their first biologic therapy and then at 16 weeks of biologic treatment.