Psoriatic arthritis: a clinico-radiological study

A less documented entity of psoriatic arthritis was studied in 238 cases of psoriasis and it was detected in 5.1 % of cases. The prevalence of arthritis was found in the population over 40 years of age and was 2.7% of the males and 8.2% of the females. Psoriatic arthritis was much more common in females (male to female ratio = 1:2) in contrast to male predominance in psoriasis (male to female ratio = 1.6:1. Skin lesions usually precede the arthritis (50%); in others the onset is synchronous (41.7%) and in few of them the arthritis may come first (8.3%). Athritis is commonly encountered with moderate to severe involvement of skin (75%). In deforming type of arthritis the psoriasis was extensive and exfoliative (17%). The nails are more frequently involved at the onset of the arthritis. Rose-Waaler Test was negative in all of them. Anaemia (41.6%) and raised ESR (25%) was a feature in the active phase of the disease. Hyperurecaemia was noted in 41.6% of cases, indicating towards the extensive involvement of skin. The importance of radiological evaluation of spine, sterno-clavicular and sacro-iliac joints in all patients is stressed. Certain unusual features noted in the presented series of cases are; calcaneal spur (17%), spondylolisthesis (8.5%) and presence of LE cells (8.3%).