Psoriatic dactylitis: from immunopathogenesis to anti-cytokine and targeted synthetic therapies

Abstract

Objectives: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an immune-inflammatory disease occurring in a subgroup of patients suffering from psoriasis. Dactylitis is recognised as a hallmark of PsA, being present in about 50% of patients. This article gives an overview of the complexity of psoriatic dactylitis, looking at clinical aspects as well as pathogenetic aspects and subsequent insights into treatment strategies.

Methods: The review focuses on the main evidence on pathogenesis, clinical features, and management of psoriatic dactylitis.

Results: In recent years, more studies have focused their attention on dactylitis in PsA patients, leading to a greater understanding of its pathogenesis and clinical presentation and to a growing expansion of the therapeutic armamentarium. Dactylitis is frequently associated with more severe PsA phenotype, often representing the initial feature of the disease. Its prompt recognition can be key for addressing early diagnosis and therapy of PsA, thus leading to better clinical and radiographic outcomes.

Conclusions: There has been considerable progress in understanding psoriatic dactylitis, but major challenges remain. Although there has been a recent expansion in the therapeutic armamentarium for psoriatic dactylitis, there is still a paucity of evidence on a precision approach to this manifestation.