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Clinic-Based Proportion of Psoriatic Arthritis and HLA-B27 Distribution in Korean Psoriasis Patients: A Retrospective Study

Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) develops in up to one-third of patients with psoriasis over the disease course, and the genetic factors are thought to modulate susceptibility. Although HLA-B27 has long been implicated in PsA, its clinical utility for identifying PsA in East Asian populations remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to estimate the clinic-based prevalence of PsA among Korean psoriatic patients, and to evaluate the diagnostic value of HLA-B27, along with other clinical markers, for PsA. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study of 209 patients with psoriasis who presented for their initial dermatology clinic visit at a tertiary referral center. RESULTS: The clinic-based prevalence of PsA was 13.9%. HLA-B27 positivity did not show significant difference between patients with PsA and psoriasis not fulfilling Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis criteria (13.8% vs. 7.8%) and was not associated with PsA or cutaneous disease severity in multivariable analyses. In contrast, nail dystrophy and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were independently associated with PsA. In this cohort, HLA-B27 demonstrated limited predictive value, whereas nail involvement and elevated CRP levels emerged as more reliable indicators of joint involvement. CONCLUSION: In this dermatology-based cohort of unselected Korean patients with psoriasis at the initial clinic visit, routine HLA-B27 testing showed limited utility as a screening tool for PsA, whereas nail involvement and elevated CRP levels served as more practical clinical cues for closer joint involvement.
DOI: 10.5021/ad.26.027
Language: English
Subfield: Rheumatology
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7203638750
FWCI:
Cites: 14
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Related to: 10