Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Aug;15(8):2233-2246.
doi: 10.1007/s13555-025-01460-9. Epub 2025 Jun 23.

Determination of Risk Factors Influencing Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation Questionnaire Scores in Palmoplantar Pustulosis: Post Hoc Analysis of EPPPIK Study

Byung Soo Kim  1 , Seong Jin Jo  2 , Dong Hyun Kim  3 , Hee Joo Kim  4 , Chul Hwan Bang  5 , Bong Seok Shin  6 , Joo-Heung Lee  7 , Ju Hee Lee  8 , Sung Eun Chang  9 , Kyung-Eun Jung  10 , Youngdoe Kim  11 , Jihye An  11 , Sang Woong Youn  12 , Chul Jong Park  13
Affiliations

Determination of Risk Factors Influencing Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation Questionnaire Scores in Palmoplantar Pustulosis: Post Hoc Analysis of EPPPIK Study

Byung Soo Kim et al. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by pustules on the palms and soles. Patients with PPP may be at an increased risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation (PASE) questionnaire is a tool designed to screen for PsA in at-risk populations. The objective of this study was to identify potential risk factors influencing PASE scores in patients with PPP.

Methods: The EPPPIK study was a cross-sectional, multicenter, noninterventional study conducted at 20 sites in Korea, in which patients (≥ 19 years of age) with a confirmed PPP diagnosis were reviewed. In a post hoc analysis of EPPPIK data, PASE outcomes were evaluated for two groups of patients with PPP stratified on the basis of a cutoff score of 37 points.

Results: In total, 375 patients with PPP (mean age, 51.3 years; 38.9% male) were included. At enrollment, 175 (46.7%) patients had a PASE score ≥ 37, and 200 (53.3%) patients had a PASE score < 37. Significant differences between the groups were demonstrated for sex, age of menarche, presence of arthritis or psoriatic arthropathy, Physician's Global Assessment score, Palmo-Plantar Pustulosis Area and Severity Index (PPPASI) score, and hand PPPASI score (p ≤ 0.05). Quality-of-life (QoL) measurements and patient-reported outcomes were significantly worse in patients with PASE ≥ 37 (p ≤ 0.05). Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that a PASE score ≥ 37 was positively associated with female sex (β = 7.19; p < 0.001) and high hand PPPASI score (β = 0.22; p = 0.0243).

Conclusions: In patients with PPP, PASE score ≥ 37 correlated with increased presence of any arthritis or psoriatic arthropathy, more severe PPP, worse QoL outcomes, female sex, and higher hand PPPASI scores. Therefore, PASE may serve as a useful tool for initial screening and appropriate treatment selection, management, and ongoing monitoring of patients with PPP.

Keywords: PASE; PPP; Palmoplantar pustulosis; PsA; Psoriasis; Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation questionnaire; Psoriatic arthritis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of Interest: Seong Jin Jo received a grant from Janssen Pharmaceuticals for the current study and reported receiving grants and/or personal fees for lectures or consultation outside of this study from AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltrion Healthcare, Daewoong, Eli Lilly and Company, Green Cross Laboratories, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Kolon Pharma, LEO Pharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, UCB, and Yuhan. Jihye An and Youngdoe Kim are full-time employees of Janssen Korea Ltd., and Byung Soo Kim, Dong Hyun Kim, Hee Joo Kim, Chul Hwan Bang, Bong Seok Shin, Joo-Heung Lee, Ju Hee Lee, Sung Eun Chang, Kyung-Eun Jung, Sang Woong Youn, and Chul Jong Park have no conflicts of interest. Ethical Approval: This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, Good Clinical Practices, and applicable regulatory requirements. The study protocol and amendments were reviewed and approved by the appropriate ethics committee at each site (committee names and approval reference numbers are provided in Supplementary Material Table S1). Patients or their legal representatives provided their written informed consent to participate in the study.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Amg B, Recent MC, Pustulosis AIP. Recent advances in palmoplantar pustulosis. Fac Rev. 2021;10:62. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Murakami M, Terui T. Palmoplantar pustulosis: current understanding of disease definition and pathomechanism. J Dermatol Sci. 2020;98(1):13–9. - PubMed
    1. Kim M, Yang S, Kim BR, et al. Nail involvement features in palmoplantar pustulosis. J Dermatol. 2021;48(3):360–5. - PubMed
    1. Yatsuzuka K, Kawakami R, Niko Y, et al. A fluorescence imaging technique suggests that sweat leakage in the epidermis contributes to the pathomechanism of palmoplantar pustulosis. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):378. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Misiak-Galazka M, Zozula J, Rudnicka L. Palmoplantar pustulosis: recent advances in etiopathogenesis and emerging treatments. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2020;21(3):355–70. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources