11/12/2025
A recent study suggests that women with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) often experience a rise in disease activity during perimenopause, the transitional phase leading up to menopause when hormone levels begin to fluctuate. Perimenopause can bring a wide range of changes, including mood swings, sleep disturbances, and joint discomfort, but until recently, little was known about how it affects PsA.
The study, presented as an abstract at ACR (American College of Rheumatology) Convergence 2025, analyzed long-term data from 477 women with PsA who were followed in a prospective cohort from 1978 to 2024. Researchers tracked disease activity before, during, and after perimenopause using multiple measures, including joint pain and swelling counts, skin involvement scores, inflammation markers, and fatigue assessments. They also accounted for age, disease duration, and medication use, and examined whether body mass index (BMI) or fatigue might explain changes in disease activity.
Results showed that disease activity increased during perimenopause, with higher joint pain, swelling, and worsened skin symptoms. Fatigue partially contributed to this increase, explaining roughly 12–18% of the change, while BMI did not have a measurable effect. After menopause, disease activity decreased slightly but did not fully return to pre-perimenopause levels.
These findings suggest that perimenopause can be a period of heightened PsA activity, emphasizing the importance of monitoring disease closely during this transition. They also highlight the need for further research into whether interventions like hormone replacement therapy could help manage PsA symptoms in perimenopausal women.
References:
Input your search keywords and press Enter.
