Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis

Skin and joints therapy.

• Initial Therapy with NSAID and analgesics
• DMARDs (Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs): Methotrexate can produce a better result. It may also help skin psoriasis. Other drug of choice is sulfasalazine. However, both of them cannot halt the progression of erosive joint disease.
• Other: cyclosporine, retinoic acid derivatives (acitretin – teratogenic!) , and psoralens plus ultraviolet A light (PUVA) for skin lesions.
• Anti-TNF (etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, and golimumab) treatment should be the choice for those who with active synovitis and does not respond to standard DMARDs (Methotrexate)
• Since Hydroxychloroquine causes skin problem, it is avoided.