Systematic review of depression and anxiety in psoriatic arthritis

To investigate the point prevalence of depression and anxiety in psoriatic arthritis and putative reductions in these comorbidities with the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.

We performed a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines examining point prevalence of depression and anxiety in psoriatic arthritis as well as effects of treatment for psoriatic arthritis on these psychiatric comorbidities. MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBM Reviews and Cochrane, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to October 2017. Quality of studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist for Prevalence Studies. Study and population characteristics were extracted and entered into an electronic database for subsequent descriptive and meta-analysis of point prevalence.

Three studies matched inclusion criteria with significant statistical heterogeneity. The prevalence of depression ranged between 9%-22% and anxiety between 15%-30% in patients with psoriatic arthritis. One study matched inclusion criteria for treatment effect analysis, albeit with a high risk of bias and illustrated a benefit of etanercept on the prevalence of depression (9% vs 16%) and anxiety (14% vs 30%) after 24 weeks of treatment.

This is the first systematic review of point prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with psoriatic arthritis. There is a moderate point prevalence of both depression and anxiety in patients with psoriatic arthritis, which is similar or slightly higher than the general population and comparable to that seen in other rheumatic diseases. The effects of treatment for psoriatic arthritis on comorbid depression and anxiety remain unclear.