Ep. 266 "No Compromise: Skin, Joints, and You"

Description: In this episode, we'll explore what it means to aim for no compromise in psoriatic arthritis care—addressing both skin and joint symptoms with dermatologist and rheumatologist Dr. Saakshi Khattri and patient advocate Dayna Pham who lives with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.   Join moderator Jeff Brown as he asks how patients and their healthcare providers can work in partnership to create a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan that reflects the full impact of psoriatic disease with triple board-certified dermatologist, rheumatologist, and internist Dr Saakshi Khattri, who is also an NPF medical board member, along with Dayna Pham, a patient advocate and volunteer with NPF's advocacy and community engagement teams who is living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. . Whether you're newly diagnosed or navigating long-term care, this conversation is all about advocating for care that supports your whole self—without settling for less.   The intent of this episode is to emphasize the need to be aware of psoriatic arthritis symptoms and once symptoms are present accept no compromise when treating skin and joints to obtain clear skin and painless joints.  This podcast episode is sponsored by UCB. Timestamps: (0:23) Intro to Psoriasis Uncovered and guest welcome dermatologist, rheumatologist, and internist Dr. Saakshi Khattri and Dayna Pham, a patient advocate and medical student living with plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. (1:38) Psoriasis is more than skin deep with an inflammatory connection between the skin and joints. (3:03) The onset of psoriatic arthritis can be confusing. Healthy skin and joints should be the expectation without having to compromise on life's goals. (4:16) Knowing the association between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis from the beginning is important to avoid delay in diagnosis and treatment. Be aware of systemic symptoms and discuss risks with a health care provider. (6:18 ) The goal of treatment is to achieve meaningful and lasting improvement in skin and joint symptoms.   (7:56) Treatments have evolved to target known drivers of inflammation in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. (8:29) The IL-17 family is a key cytokine with 6 related signaling molecules. IL-17A and F play a role in the inflammatory process related to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. (9:48) What discussion about treatment goals could include between a patient and health care provider. (13:19) If you have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis you should feel empowered to speak up, seek answers, and find a treatment that offers no compromise on achieving clear skin and healthy joints.   Key Takeaways: ·       Psoriasis is an immune mediated disease that results in systemic inflammation that can affect        both the skin and joints. Unfortunately many people do not realize their joint symptoms may          be related to their psoriasis.  ·       The purpose of treatment which uses a variety of mechanisms of action targeting specific cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL-12/23, IL-23, IL-17 is to achieve meaningful and lasting improvement in skin and joint symptoms. ·       If you have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis you should feel empowered to speak up, seek answers, and to work with your health care team to identify goals and treatment choices that aim to preserve quality of life. Guest Bios:   Saakshi Khattri, M.D., MAS, is a triple board certified medical dermatologist, rheumatologist, and internist in the greater New York area who serves on the medical board of the National Psoriasis Foundation. She is the Director of the Center for Connective Tissue Diseases at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Khattri's area of interests include inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases especially those with a rheumatology/dermatology overlap like psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.  She is actively involved in research and clinical trials for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis where she seeks to identify immune pathways that lead to new biomarkers and treatments. Dr. Khattri is extensively published  in peer reviewed journals and is also a member of the International Psoriasis Council.                                                                                                                                                                  ​Dayna Pham is  a patient advocate, medical student, and volunteer with NPF's advocacy and community engagement teams who lives with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Dayna's psoriasis journey began at age 21 when she discovered bumps on her back which became plaques. Within weeks her body was impacted head to toe with plaque psoriasis, at 40% BSA.  After being misdiagnosed and undertreated for a few months she eventually found a dermatologist who diagnosed her with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and prescribed a biologic. She's 25 now and seeks to live her fullest life possible while balancing her psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Resources: ·     Learn more about psoriatic arthritis from symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options to      coping with the disease. Ø  ·      Armstrong A, Levit NA, Schneider B, et al. Patient-identified treatment goals for psoriatic                 disease: Results from a US patient survey.  J Psoriasis Psoriatic Arthritis. 2025;10(1):1–11.