Health Central discusses how to achieve psoriatic arthritis remission in an interview with experts including Dee Dee Wu, MD, rheumatologist at HSS. 

If you’re living with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), your doctor may have talked to you about what’s considered the holy grail of treatment: Remission. Remission with psoriatic arthritis means symptom-free periods with no joint pain or inflammation. That’s the goal, anyway, but achieving remission is far from easy. Working in your favor: newer treatment options, especially biologic therapies, that target the roots of psoriatic arthritis itself, not just its symptoms. It can take some trial and error, but doctors believe that with the right medication, remission today is a real possibility for most people with this disease.

It’s natural to wonder if reaching remission means the end of psoriatic arthritis treatment. That’s unlikely, said Dr. Wu. “I do not recommend treatment be discontinued when remission is reached, but if someone is on multiple medications, then sometimes treatment can be pulled back,” she explained. This is referred to as treatment de-escalation. “It’s also important to consider whether maybe the joint pain is under control, but not all aspects of the condition, such as the skin, is also under control, before pulling back on medication.” Still, Dr. Wu says, the goal at the end of the day is for patients to be on the least medication possible while experiencing the greatest symptom improvement possible.

Without a doubt, lifestyle changes can support psoriatic arthritis remission, said Dr. Wu. “No smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, not drinking alcohol in excess, and following an anti-inflammatory diet can all lead to a better outcome,” she said. A healthy lifestyle can do more than help you maintain remission. “Many with psoriatic arthritis also live with diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, so managing lifestyle issues can also lead to a better outcome for the other conditions also.”

Read the full article at healthcentral.com