Key clinical point: Having sent a pharyngeal sample for culture was associated with an increased risk for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) onset, indicating site of infection being associated with the increased PsA risk rather than the pathogen.
Major finding: Among all samples sent for culture, a pharyngeal sample was associated with a higher risk for PsA onset within first 50 days compared with a urine (hazard ratio [HR] 8.78; 95% CI 3.23-23.91), nasopharyngeal (HR 8.26; 95% CI 2.23-30.63), or blood (HR 25.22; 95% CI 3.12-204.13) sample; however, streptococcal infections in the pharynx or at any other site were not associated with an increased risk for PsA.
Study details: Findings are from a population-based cohort study including 313,235 bacterial cultures from 128,982 individuals.
Disclosures: The study was supported by the Landspitali University Hospital, Iceland. A Ogdie and T Love declared serving as consultants and receiving grants and reimbursement from several sources.
Source: Thrastardottir T et al. Strong site-specific association of pharyngeal cultures with the onset of psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, regardless of pathogen. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2022 (Apr 23). Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac253