Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is part of a group of closely related clinical phenotypes ('psoriatic disease') that is defined by shared molecular pathogenesis resulting in excessive, prolonged inflammation in the various tissues affected, such as the skin, the entheses or the joints. Psoriatic disease comprises a set of specific drivers that promote an aberrant immune response and the consequent development of chronic disease that necessitates therapeutic intervention. These drivers include genetic, biomechanical, metabolic and microbial factors that facilitate a robust and continuous mobilization, trafficking and homing of immune cells into the target tissues. The role of genetic variants involved in the immune response, the contribution of mechanical factors triggering an exaggerated inflammatory response (mechanoinflammation), the impact of adipose tissue and altered lipid metabolism and the influence of intestinal dysbiosis in the disease process are discussed. Furthermore, the role of key cytokines, such as IL-23, IL-17 and TNF, in orchestrating the various phases of the inflammatory disease process and as therapeutic targets in PsA is reviewed. Finally, the nature and the mechanisms of inflammatory tissue responses inherent to PsA are summarized.
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