Psoriatic arthritis, an inflammatory arthritis condition shows inflammation in the region of axial skeleton causing inflammatory back pain. The study explains the quality of life, prevalence, and features among patients with psoriatic arthritis along with back pain.

The study aimed to evaluate the association between criteria defining inflammatory back pain (IBP) and rheumatologist-judged IBP among the patients with PsA (psoriatic arthritis). The investigation also involved the assessment of IBP predictive value to recognise axial engagement in PsA.

The association between criteria defining inflammatory back pain (IBP) and rheumatologist-judged IBP was done (Calin, Rudwaleit and Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society) using the kappa coefficient. The reasonableness ratios of the existence of back pain, specificity, sensitivity, rheumatologist-judged IBP and three IBP criteria for identifying axial PsA (AxPsA) was evaluated. The comparison of genetic and clinical markers related to axial radiological changes either with back pain or without was also done.

A total of 171 patients were selected. Out of these, 65 had IBP, 96 had chronic back pain, and 54 had evidence of radiological change in the spine. Calin criteria exhibited the highest association between criteria defining inflammatory back pain (IBP) and rheumatologist-judged IBP (0.70) and Rudwaleit criteria showed the highest positive reasonableness ratio for the radiological axial engagement (2.17). Except for the moderate widespread of human leucocyte antigen-B*38 and raised Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, no other difference was noticed among the patients with AxPsA with or without back pain.

The criteria for IBP or rheumatologist-judged IBP produced for ankylosing spondylitis may not work well when discovering axial involvement in PsA.