Why this study matters

PsA is a heterogeneous disease which will likely require individualized treatment strategies to achieve optimal responses.  Measuring biomarkers that correlate with treatment response, rather than phenotyping the cell subsets that elaborate the biomarkers, is feasible and practical in the clinical setting.

Study design

Serum cytokines were identified that predicted PsA remission based on the Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis-remission (DAPSA-REM). Patients with PsA with low IL-22 concentrations were treated with an IL-17 inhibitor (n=23) and patients with high IL-22 concentrations were treated with a TNF inhibitor (n=24) for > 1 year.

Results and conclusion

IL-22 may represent the biomarker of choice to confirm treatment response to TNF and IL-17 inhibitors in DMARD-refractory PsA patients, as assessed by DAPSA-REM.