ABSTRACT
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with clinical manifestations, including inflammatory arthritis and the presence of psoriasis (PsO). The present consensus statement evaluated the early diagnosis and treatment approaches in the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis by rheumatologists and dermatologists. For PAN India representation, a panel of eight rheumatologists and five dermatologists from different institutes in India were constituted. These thirteen experts were divided into two groups (rheumatologists group and dermatologist group) who received a set of questionnaires each for diagnosis and treatment approaches in the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Based on the responses received, a panel discussion took place, where the experts identified the early diagnostic criteria for PsA considering: Clinical signs and symptoms, and questionnaire-based PsA screening, which includes Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST) for dermatologists and Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (CASPAR) for rheumatologists. The experts also recommended shift from conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to biologics like secukinumab, when there is extensive skin involvement and TNF inhibitors when there is extensive joint involvement. Overall, the objective of the consensus was to assist rheumatologists and dermatologists in the early diagnosis and management of patients of PsA and PsO in their clinical practice.
ABSTRACT
A 61-year-old woman, a known case of diabetic nephropathy on chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, presented with acute onset severe pain in the right knee, of 7 days duration. She had red hot and tender knee and was unable to bear weight. The lower half of the right thigh was swollen and tender. Right knee synovial fluid revealed 130 cells/microL (all lymphocytes). The fluid was negative for crystals and bacterial cultures. Three week later she returned with worsening of her symptoms despite receiving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and intra-articular glucocorticoid. Magnetic resonance imaging of the right thigh showed heterogeneously hyperintense right vastus medialis muscle on T2-weighted image, suggestive of diabetic muscle infarction. Therapy with analgesics and physiotherapy led to recovery in pain and thigh swelling. Diabetic muscle necrosis is a rare complication of diabetes mellitus and may present with abrupt onset of pain and loss of function of the involved extremity, mimicking septic/reactive arthritis or pyomyositis. A high index of suspicion may avoid delay in diagnosis.
