How Psoriatic Arthritis Patients Rate Their Treatment

Mercy KM, Gordon KB, Paller AS. Patient Satisfaction and Quality of Life in Psoriasis and Psoriatic ArthritisJAMA. 2014;312:2676-2677. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.12494.

Nearly half (45%) of all psoriatic arthritis patients express dissatisfaction with their treatment in surveys, say the expert authors of this review. And satisfaction is an important driver of adherence.

They outline some of the notable data on patient satisfaction from previous research. For instance:

•   Adverse effects and lack of effectiveness were primary reasons for discontinuing biological agents, but about 10% cited cost.

•  In the Netherlands, where patient dissatisfaction was only 10%-17%, and satisfaction scores were highest for patients getting biologic therapy, methotrexate or phototherapy, and lowest for patients receiving only topical therapies or acitretin.

•  Treatment of psoriasis with methotrexate or tumor necrosis factor inhibitors is associated with decreased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

A 2013 satisfaction survey published in JAMA Dermatology found that psoriatic arthritis was present in about half of respondents with severe psoriasis, a third with moderate psoriasis, and a quarter of those with mild psoriasis.