Artificial Intelligence Benefits Psoriatic Arthritis Patients

PredictAI, a new machine-learning tool developed by researchers, speeds up the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) by up to 4 years, potentially preventing irreversible joint damage and deteriorating function for sufferers.

Psoriatic Arthritis

PsA is a progressive inflammatory condition that affects the joints and connective skin, mainly in patients who have psoriasis (a chronic skin disease). The most common symptoms are joint pain and swelling, ranging from mild to severe, but many patients also develop more dangerous erosive joint disease and deformities. The findings from the researchers’ study are being presented today at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology’s (EADV) Spring Symposium in Ljubljana.

The study retrospectively researched and analyzed the medical database of Israel’s second-largest health medical organization with over 2.5 million members.

PredictAI — AI Algorithm for Psoriatric Arthrtis

PredictAI™ analyzed the medical records of over 2,000 confirmed PsA patients to train the algorithm that was then tested on a separate group of confirmed PsA patients and accurately identified 32% to 51% of them, 1 to 4 years prior to a clinician’s diagnosis.

The researchers developed this algorithm to shorten the time to diagnosis, which takes today an average of 2.5 years from the onset of symptoms. Totally, 32% of patients in the study were identified 4 years prior to the diagnosis and 43% one year before a recorded PsA diagnosis by a clinician. When analyzing psoriasis patients’ medical records only, 51% of undiagnosed PsA patients were identified 1 year prior to the first diagnosis.

The study’s authors believe it would make the most impact when used in a primary care setting because the symptoms of PsA may be unspecific compared to rheumatoid arthritis and awareness of PsA may be lacking in community medical practice.

“It is predominantly dermatologists who treat psoriasis patients and since 10% of those patients may have PsA but not be aware of it, we have an opportunity to ask about joint pain,” said Dr. Jonathan Shapiro, dermatologist, medical advisor to Predicta Med analytics LTD and manager of the tele-dermatology service in Maccabi Healthcare Services in Israel.

“Many psoriasis patients themselves might be unaware they have PsA and will contact a general practitioner or an orthopaedic specialist about joint or back pain — not linking it with their skin condition particularly since the non-specific nature of these symptoms makes it difficult for a clinician to diagnose upon first presentation,” Dr. Shapiro explained.

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Source-Eurekalert