Papers of the Week

The prevalence of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in Germany is approximately 1-1.4% and includes predominantly axial SpA (axSpA) and predominantly peripheral SpA. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) belongs to the group of axial SpA but also exhibits peripheral manifestations. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can show purely peripheral or also axial manifestations. The total prevalence of SpA in Germany is approximately 1‑1.4%, the prevalence of AS is ca. 0.5% and PsA 0.2-1.4%. Patients with AS are mainly treated by internal medical rheumatologists but in many places also basically treated by general practitioners and orthopedists. Patients with PsA are mainly diagnosed and treated by rheumatologists and dermatologists working in private practice or in clinical settings. Besides the control of inflammatory activity and prevention or slowing down of the characteristic disease progression, including irreversible structural changes, the main objectives of patients as well as treating physicians are particularly freedom from pain and a quality of life comparable to non-affected persons. Decisive for successful treatment are an early diagnosis and initiation of adequate therapy as well as regular monitoring of disease activity including treatment adjustment taking the needs of the patient into consideration; however, it is unknown how often this is actually successful in routine daily practice in Germany.