Key clinical point: COVID-19 pandemic did not increase the occurrence of depressive symptoms among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) compared with the period before the pandemic.
Major finding: Majority of patients did not have indications of depressive symptoms during (85.39%) and prior to (83.15%) the pandemic, with 14.61% and 16.85% of patients showing depressive symptoms during and prior to the pandemic, respectively. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was not significantly different before and during the pandemic ( P = .803), irrespective of disease activity.
Study details: Findings are from a longitudinal study including 89 patients with PsA from a National Patient Register in Germany .
Disclosures: This study was funded by the German RheumaDatenRhePort Registry (RHADAR GbR). Most of the authors including the lead author declared being members, receiving honoraria, research support, or remuneration from various sources, including RHADAR Gbr.
Source: Engelbrecht M et al. Front Med. 2021(Nov 1). Doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.748262.