Achilles tendon ultrasonography may detect early features of psoriatic arthropathy in patients with cutaneous psoriasis.

SummaryBackground Psoriatic arthropathy is a progressive and debilitating disease involving reduction of functional activity of the articulations with consequent deterioration of the patient's quality of life. The entheses represent the initial site of articular inflammation and the enthesis of the Achilles tendon is the first to be affected. In some patients with psoriasis, enthesitis may not be diagnosed because it is still asymptomatic. Objectives To evaluate whether ultrasonography allows early diagnosis in a larger population and to identify significant alterations of enthesitis beyond increased thickness of the Achilles tendon. Materials and methods The study was undertaken on 59 pati…