Psoriasis and arthritis are two different conditions that can combine to give psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which couples the painful swollen joints of arthritis with the irritable, red patches of psoriasis.
PsA is an autoimmune disease and is characterized by the body’s immune system attacking the skin and joints.
Based on stats from America, 30% of the more than 7.5 million people with psoriasis end up getting PsA, making its incidence quite alarming.
PsA’s symptoms can be mild or severe and it can affect multiple joints at the same time.
What Causes Psoriatic Arthritis?
Although psoriasis is the precursor to PsA, scientists are not sure how and why this immune condition develops.
The most popular theory for what causes PsA is attributed to a combination of genes and the environment.
PsA is passed through families. Around 40% of people dealing with PsA have a family member afflicted with it as well.
Furthermore, an environmental stressor usually triggers the condition. The environmental factor could be extreme stress, a viral infection, or an injury.
Types of Psoriatic Arthritis
There are five different types of PsA.
Symmetric PsA makes up around half of all PsA cases. It affects both sides of the body and its symptoms are quite similar to rheumatoid arthritis. The condition is usually mild but can be disabling.
The second most popular kind is Asymmetric PsA, which is exclusive to one side of the body. The symptoms are usually mild and often don’t go beyond soreness and redness of the skin.
Occurring in around 10% of all PsA cases is distal interphalangeal predominant PsA, which occurs in the distal joins close to the fingertips.
Spondylitis PsA is quite painful as it affects your spine, from your neck down to the lower back, making movement difficult.
Psoriatic arthritis mutilans is the rarest type and the most dangerous. It affects the hands and feet and can cause deformation. The pain can also travel to your neck and back.
What are the Symptoms of PsA?
Symptoms for PsA differ from person to person and can be mild or severe depending on the case. Moreover, the symptoms also depend on what type of PsA you are afflicted with.
With that in mind, the symptoms you are likely to encounter in PsA include:
Fatigue
Swollen joints on both sides of the body that hurt
Feeling stiff when you wake up
Pain in the tendons and muscles
Swollen toes or fingers
A flaky scalp
Eye pain
Eye redness
Nail pitting
Some symptoms unique to spondylitis PsA include:
Stiffness and pain in the spine
Pain, weakness, and swelling in the other joints and limbs.
Treatment for Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic Arthritis can be treated with a slew of different drugs.
These include steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, immunosuppressants, and biologic drugs.
You can also control psoriatic arthritis by changing your lifestyle habits, such as adding exercise and stress-relieving activities to your daily life.
