In a meta-analysis, biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) taken by people with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) seem to substantially enhance the quality of life (QoL) when compared to placebo. Yuqiong Lu et al. aimed to assess the impact of bDMARDs on QoL in PsA patients.

Electronic databases such as VIP, WanFang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and PubMed were searched for relevant studies. Extraction of outcomes related to the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) 50/75/90/100, EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), mental component summary and physical component summary of the Short Form 36, Dermatology Life Quality Index, and Outcomes about Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) was done.

Utilizing random or fixed effects methods, the data were pooled and deemed as mean difference or risk ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of 37 RCTs out of 3190 articles were incorporated. As per the pooled estimates, bDMARDs were superior on all outcomes when compared to placebo. bDMARDs displayed no vital advantages or disadvantages against tofacitinib and methotrexate (MTX). There were comparable findings for bDMARDs+MTX vs. MTX.

For the HAQ-DI, the outcomes (mean difference) of the subgroups of bDMARDs vs. placebo was -0.21, bDMARDs+MTX vs. MTX was -0.22, bDMARDs vs. tofacitinib was -0.01, and bDMARDs vs. MTX was found to be -0.03. Thus, using bDMARDs leads to substantial improvement in the QoL of people suffering from PsA.