Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living with psoriatic arthritis have a new, oral treatment option available to them.

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 90,000 Canadians.

Local clinical rheumatologist Dr. Proton Rahman says the incidence in Newfoundland and Labrador is even higher than the national average.

Newfoundland has a founder population, with rates of psoriasis that are twice the national average. Thirty per cent of those patients are affected by psoriatic arthritis, which is two times higher than the rest of Canada.

He says people with psoriatic arthritis suffer pain and reduced mobility which has an impact on their overall psychological well-being. While traditional treatment options involve injections, RINVOQ, is an oral treatment that can offer similar benefits to patients.

When you decrease pain and improve function, says Rahman, it’s logical to infer that some of a patient’s depressive symptoms improve. He believes that the benefit of treatment goes beyond the joint.