Dermatológia pre prax 2/2007

BIOLOGICA TREATMENT OF PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the manifestations of arthritis and psoriasis. Treatment of the disease is expected to decrease or to suppress the activity of arthritis and enthesitis or to retard the radiological progression and to clear the skin and nail signs of the disease or not to worsen them at least. Standard treatment of psoriatic arthritis includes nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs, disease modifying drugs, glucocorticosteroids and TNFα inhibitors. Anti TNFα antagonists, e.g. infliximab, adalimumab and etanercept are agents with different structure, which influence the inflammatory cascade at the level of cytokines and improve fast and markedly the course of this disease. As the costs of the treatment are high and the treatment may be associated with potentially serious adverse effects, a careful, nationwide monitoring of the efficacy and safety is essential.

Keywords: psoriatic arthritis, biologics, TNFα antagonists