Ying-Ying Leung, Paul Bird, Muhammad Haroon, Mitsumasa Kishimoto, Kichul Shin, Ashish Jacob Mathew, Heizel Reyes, Jeffrey Chau, Dennis Neuen, Praveena Chiowchanwisawakit, Asal Adnan Ridha, Chuanhui Xu, William Taylor, Fariz Yahya, Ho So, Sho Fukui, Nguyen Van Hung, Soosan G. Soroosh, Cesarius Singgih Wahono, Lydia Say Lee Pok, Juan Raphael Gonzales, Yi Wei Yeo, Chathurika Dandeniya, Akimichi Morita, Perdana Aditya Rahman, Shahlaa Basim, Kalum Deshapriya, Eman Satti, Nguyen Duc Phong, Min Jung Kim, Avanish Jha, Priyanka Moovara Cackamvalli, Ahmed Rafique, Md. Nazrul Islam, Lai-Shan Tam
Objectives: Under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR), we aimed to develop broad, evidence- and consensus-based guidelines to aid health professionals managing patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the region. Methods: A working group of 35 members comprising rheumatologists, dermatologists, and patient research partners from 18 APLAR countries was convened. The working group conducted systematic literature reviews to derive the quality of evidence via GRADE methods in supporting the efficacy and safety of classes of therapeutic agents for the management of active PsA, its comorbidities, and screening for specific infection concerns in the region. Recommendation statements on the principles of management and the best use of therapeutic drugs were developed. Consensus within the working group was achieved. An external voting panel, five from each of the 18 APLAR countries, was convened to confirm further agreement on the recommendation statements. Results: The main literature review included 178 articles from clinical trials for PsA. Additional articles on the evidence for managing comorbidities, uveitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and screening for chronic hepatitis B and latent tuberculosis were reviewed. The working group discussed and reached consensus on eight management principles and 16 recommendation statements for managing PsA. Endorsement from an external voting panel (n = 90, response rate 80%) was achieved. Conclusion: These first recommendations for the management of PsA patients in the APLAR regions were developed based on the best available evidence and region-specific considerations through discussion among rheumatologists, dermatologists, and patients, with strong agreement from an external expert panel. © 2025 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
Department of Rheumatology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Fatima Memorial Hospital, and FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan; Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; Division of Rheumatology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea; Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India; University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines; Patient Research Partner, Hong Kong; Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Rheumatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Baghdad, College of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq; Department of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore; Rheumatology Unit, Hutt Hospital, Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora), Wellington, New Zealand; Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Emergency and General Medicine, Kyorin University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; Centre for Rheumatology, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Department of Internal Medicine, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Tehran Rheumatology Research Center, Medical University, Tehran, Iran; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Brawijaya/Saiful Anwar General Hospital, Malang, Indonesia; University of the Philippines, Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines; Department of Dermatology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; Department of Geriatric and Environmental Dermatology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan; Department of Medicine, Al-Imamain Al-Kadhimain Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq; Department of Rheumatology & Rehabilitation, Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya, Sri Lanka; Department of Rheumatology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government–Seoul National University Hospital Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea; Patient Research Partner, Islamabad, Pakistan; Department of Rheumatology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh
