How Do Axial SpA & PsA with Axial Involvement Differ?

Regarding future directions, Dr. Deodhar was pleased to share that the Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) working group and Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) are collaborating to develop formal axPsA classification criteria in the Axial Involvement in Psoriatic Arthritis Cohort (AXIS).¹³

“Studies to ‘molecularly’ characterize axPsA vs. PsA patients have also commenced,” he said.

Summary

Some of the differences between axSpA and axPsA have clinical and therapeutic implications, although the burden of disease for patients is similar. Work to create formal axPsA classification criteria is underway, as are therapeutic clinical trials targeted specifically to axPsA patients. It’s critical to remember to assess for axial involvement in PsA patients, given its prevalence and morbidity.

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Samantha C. Shapiro, MD, is an academic rheumatologist and an affiliate faculty member of the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her training in internal medicine and rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. She is also a member of the ACR Insurance Subcommittee.

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