Uveitis Shows a Strong Two-Way Link with Psoriatic Arthritis, Not Psoriasis
Researchers have established that uveitis (a severe inflammatory eye disease) is bidirectionally linked to psoriatic arthritis but not with arthritis-free psoriasis. The study was published in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery by Miao M. and colleagues. The findings indicate that although both conditions will affect each other, this relationship appears to primarily occur in psoriatic arthritis patients, not those with psoriasis.
Psoriatic conditions, such as psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, have previously been linked to systemic inflammation. Uveitis, which involves inflammation of the uveal tract of the eye, is a further immune-mediated condition, and its association with psoriatic conditions has recently received considerable interest.
To explore this association, researchers systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for cohort and case-control studies on the correlation between psoriatic diseases and uveitis. Included studies were evaluated for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale, with a high standard of methodological quality. A total of 11 cohort studies and 1 case-control study with a combined total of 9,641,856 participants were included in the analysis.
A random-effects approach was utilized to control for variability across studies using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) as the estimate of association. Egger's test further provided evidence of lack of significant publication bias, improving the validity of the findings.
Results
Analysis revealed a two-way significant relationship between psoriatic arthritis and uveitis but not for psoriasis with or without arthritis and uveitis. Principal numerical findings from the study include:
Patients with any form of psoriatic disease had a 2.14-fold increased risk of developing uveitis (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.57–2.90).
In patients with psoriatic arthritis, the risk was even higher, with an OR of 3.13 (95% CI: 2.10–4.67).
Conversely, the association in patients with psoriasis but not arthritis was not statistically significant (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 0.91–2.14).
Turning to the other direction, uveitis patients were seen to be at increased risk of developing psoriatic disease (OR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.66–3.96).
In particular, for non-arthritis psoriasis, the OR was 1.99 (95% CI: 1.12–3.53), whereas for psoriatic arthritis it was even greater at 3.53 (95% CI: 2.08–5.99).
These repeated results verify that uveitis is strongly linked to psoriatic arthritis in both directions, while its relationship with psoriasis without arthritis seems weaker or nonexistent.
These results clarify prior inconsistencies in observational reports and suggest a more potent inflammatory connection particularly between psoriatic arthritis and uveitis. Additional research should be undertaken to investigate the underlying biological pathways that link these conditions, which might ultimately provide more accurate, integrated treatment plans for involved patients.
Reference:
Miao, M., Yan, J., Sun, Y., Liu, J., & Guo, S. (2025). The bidirectional association between psoriatic disease and uveitis: An updated meta-analysis. Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1177/12034754251322764
