Fatigue in psoriatic arthritis: Several factors contribute

Fatigue in patients who have psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with a combination of factors, and the level of fatigue varies over time. Current measures of clinical and functional status generally capture changes in fatigue between previous and currrent clinic visits.

Husted and coworkers studied 390 patients who completed the modified Fatigue Severity Scale (mFSS) annually. The investigators used clinical data that corresponded to visits in which the mFSS was administered. Change in mFSS score (ΔmFSS) between consecutive mFSS administrations was the secondary outcome.

Objective measures of inflammatory joint and skin activity were related to fatigue over time, although these relationships were no longer significant in the context of patient-reported measures of physical disability and pain. Patient-reported measures of physical disability, pain, and psychological distress were most closely related to higher mFSS scores across clinic assessments. Measures of clinical and functional status at the current visit generally were more predictive of ΔmFSS in between previous and current visits than change scores in these measures between visits.

The authors noted that the full effect of comorbidities on fatigue warrants further study to better understand the effective management of fatigue in PsA.