Clinical and Ultrasound Enthesitis in Psoriatic Arthritis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Use of musculoskeletal ultrasound to determine the extent of enthesitis in patients with psoriatic arthritis, and determine the sensitivity and specificity of this approach compared with clinical enthesitis indices.
IRAS ID
242275
Contact name
Deepak Jadon
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals Research and Development
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Enthesitis (inflammation at areas where tendons and ligaments attach to bone) is a common feature of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Enthesitis in people with PsA is associated with higher disease activity, increased pain and fatigue, and poor quality of life. Accurate identification and treatment of enthesitis is therefore important for patients. Enthesitis can be detected by clinical examination or by imaging tests, particularly ultrasound. Clinical enthesitis indices, involving examination of multiple entheseal sites, have been developed but not all have been validated for use in PsA. Clinical trials for emerging treatments in PsA use enthesitis as an important outcome measure, although at present the optimal way to detect enthesitis is unclear. The aim of this study is to determine the degree of enthesitis detected by ultrasound and clinical examination indices in a group of patients with PsA, and compare the two methods. The identification of a tool to adequately assess enthesitis will allow translation of clinical trial results to help identify future treatments and improve patient outcomes. All patients attending the Addenbrooke's Hospital dedicated PsA outpatient clinic, that are classified as having PsA, are eligible to be enrolled. Each consenting participant will attend a research appointment immediately following a scheduled routine outpatient appointment. Participants will complete four questionnaires, undergo clinical examination of their skin, nails, joints and entheses, as well as an ultrasound scan of twenty common sites of enthesitis. Each research appointment will take 30-60 minutes in total.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0138
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jun 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion