What is Psoriatic Arthritis?
Anyone who has psoriasis and joint pain may have psoriatic arthritis. The signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are: • The red, inflamed skin of psoriasis. • Pain and swelling in the joints that is worse in the morning or after rest. Stiffness lessens with activity. • Sausage-like appearance in the affected fingers and toes (in severe cases.) • Pitting (small indentations on the nail) or the nails may be pulling away from the nail beds. Nails may have ridges or a yellowish-orange discoloration. Psoriatic arthritis is a lifelong condition that causes deterioration, pain, and stiffness in the joints. Some people experience only joint problems and never develop psoriasis. About 70% of people who get psoriatic arthritis develop psoriasis first. Studies show that in these cases, psoriasis usually precedes psoriatic arthritis by about 10 years. However, a person can develop psoriatic arthritis within a few months of getting psoriasis or decades later. Psoriatic arthritis most commonly in
Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that is associated with psoriasis, a chronic skin and nail disease. There are five types of PA. • Symmetric arthritis is much like rheumatoid arthritis. It affects pairs of joints and can be disabling. The associated psoriasis is often severe. About 50 percent of people with this form of psoriatic arthritis will develop variable degrees of progressive, destructive disease, although it is usually less severe than rheumatoid arthritis. Asymmetric arthritis usually involves only one to three joints. It can affect any joint, such as the knee, hip ankle and wrist. One finger can be involved or many can be affected.Distal Interphalangeal Predominant (DIP) arthritis occurs in about five percent of people with PA. It involves primarily the distal joints of the fingers and toes (the joint closest to the nail).Spondylitis occurs in about five percent of individuals with PA. Inflammation of the spinal column is the major symptom. Inflammatio
Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation of the skin (psoriasis) and joints (arthritis). Psoriasis is a common skin condition affecting 2% of the Caucasian population in the United States. It features patchy, raised, red areas of skin inflammation with scaling. Psoriasis often affects the tips of the elbows and knees, the scalp, the navel, and around the genital areas or anus. Approximately 10% of patients who have psoriasis also develop an associated inflammation of their joints. Patients who have inflammatory arthritis and psoriasis are diagnosed as having psoriatic arthritis. The onset of psoriatic arthritis generally occurs in the fourth and fifth decades of life. Males and females are affected equally. The skin disease (psoriasis) and the joint disease (arthritis) often appear separately. In fact, the skin disease precedes the arthritis in nearly 80% of patients. The arthritis may precede the psoriasis in up to 15% of patients. In some patients, the d
Psoriatic arthritis is a form of arthritis associated with psoriasis, a chronic skin and nail disease characterized by red, scaly rashes and thick, pitted fingernails. The disease is similar to rheumatoid arthritis in symptoms, characterized by joint inflammation. However, psoriatic arthritis tends to affect fewer joints than rheumatoid arthritis and does not produce the typical rheumatoid arthritis antibodies.
