Dermatology screening tools: project update from the GRAPPA 2012 annual meeting.

Abstract

Several screening tools for early identification of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have been developed. While these tools had high sensitivity and specificity during their development and initial validation, it remained to be determined how they would function with widespread use. At the 2012 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) in Stockholm, Sweden, these tools were compared for their utility when used to screen patients for PsA in clinics other than those in which they were developed. The screening tools did not perform as well as previously published, and members suggested new tools may need to be developed. An additional study of the prevalence of PsA in a large cohort of psoriasis patients, the PREPARE study, which investigated the use of screening questionnaires, was also presented.