Key clinical point: Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) had significantly higher levels of aortic vascular inflammation as measured by 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) scanning than control individuals without PsA who had melanoma.
Major finding: Vascular inflammation of the whole aorta was significantly increased in patients with PsA vs control individuals (mean target-to-background ratio 1.63 vs 1.49; P < .001), with the association remaining significant even after adjusting for gender, age, body mass index, mean arterial pressure, and aortic calcification (P = .002). Patients with PsA vs control individuals also had a higher extent of inflammation in other aortic segments.
Study details: Findings are from cross-sectional study that included 75 patients with active PsA and 40 control individuals without PsA who were diagnosed with melanoma without distant metastases, all of whom underwent FDG PET/CT scans.
Disclosures: This study was funded by Health Holland and Pfizer. Four authors declared serving as consultants or advisors for, receiving research grants from, or having other ties with various sources, including Pfizer.
Source: Kleinrensink NJ, Spierings J, Vonkeman HE, et al. Increased vascular inflammation on PET/CT in psoriatic arthritis patients in comparison with controls. RMD open. 2024;10:e003547 (Jan 30). doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003547 Source