Using Automated Machine Learning to Predict Necessary Upcoming Therapy Changes in Patients With Psoriasis Vulgaris and Psoriatic Arthritis and Uncover New Influences on Disease Progression: Retrospective Study

Background: Psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are complex, multifactorial diseases significantly impacting health and quality of life. Predicting treatment response and disease progression is crucial for optimizing therapeutic interventions, yet challenging. Automated machine learning (AutoML) technology shows promise for rapidly creating accurate predictive models based on patient features and treatment data.

Objective: This study aims to develop highly accurate machine learning (ML) models using AutoML to address key clinical questions for PsV and PsA patients, including predicting therapy changes, identifying reasons for therapy changes, and factors influencing skin lesion progression or an abnormal Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) score.

Methods: Clinical study data from 309 PsV and PsA patients were extensively prepared and analyzed using AutoML to build and select the most accurate predictive models for each variable of interest.

Results: Therapy change at 24 weeks follow-up was modeled using the extreme gradient boosted trees classifier with early stopping (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] of 0.9078 and logarithmic loss [LogLoss] of 0.3955 for the holdout partition). Key influencing factors included the initial systemic therapeutic agent, the Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis score at baseline, and changes in quality of life. An average blender incorporating three models (gradient boosted trees classifier, ExtraTrees classifier, and Eureqa generalized additive model classifier) with an AUC of 0.8750 and LogLoss of 0.4603 was used to predict therapy changes for 2 hypothetical patients, highlighting the significance of these factors. Treatments such as methotrexate or specific biologicals showed a lower propensity for change. An average blender of a random forest classifier, an extreme gradient boosted trees classifier, and a Eureqa classifier (AUC of 0.9241 and LogLoss of 0.4498) was used to estimate PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) change after 24 weeks. Primary predictors included the initial PASI score, change in pruritus levels, and change in therapy. A lower initial PASI score and consistently low pruritus were associated with better outcomes. BASDAI classification at onset was analyzed using an average blender of a Eureqa generalized additive model classifier, an extreme gradient boosted trees classifier with early stopping, and a dropout additive regression trees classifier with an AUC of 0.8274 and LogLoss of 0.5037. Influential factors included initial pain, disease activity, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores for depression and anxiety. Increased pain, disease activity, and psychological distress generally led to higher BASDAI scores.

Conclusions: The practical implications of these models for clinical decision-making in PsV and PsA can guide early investigation and treatment, contributing to improved patient outcomes.