An Introduction to Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is essentially a type of arthritis (inflammation of the joints) that is associated with the inflammatory skin condition psoriasis. If you develop psoriatic arthritis then chances are you are a sufferer of the skin condition too and both can come and go at the same time. It's estimated that 7.5 million people in the United States is currently suffering from psoriasis, and of those 30% will suffer from psoriatic arthritis.

The symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are the same as any other type of arthritis; painful, swollen joints, a loss of movement in the joints, overall tiredness and fatigue, throbbing and a burning pain in the tendons around the joints. The only differences between psoriatic arthritis and other kinds of the conditions are that there can be nail changes, sore eyes (sometimes conjunctivitis) and the symptoms of arthritis come and go with skin psoriasis.

'Nail changes' is often cited as one of the common symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, but this description is rather vague. The nails can often appear as though they have a fungal infection, looking ridged, changing color and becoming pitted. They might separate from the nail bed as well and whether you think you have psoriatic arthritis or not this nail condition should be looked at by a medical professional.

Psoriatic arthritis is categorized into five different types, the first of which is spondylitis which affects the tendons and joints from the neck and down the spinal column to the lower back. The second type is oligoarticular which essentially affects random joints throughout the body, unlike the symmetic form which affects the same joints on both sides of the body and tends to be more painful or extreme. The fourth type of psoriatic arthritis is arthritis mutilans which causes severe degeneration of the small joints in the body, namely in the hands and feet. Finally, we have distal interphalangeal arthritis, also known as DIP, which affects the joints at the ends of the fingers and toes, closest to the nail.

Treatment for psoriatic arthritis generally depends upon which of the five types the individual is suffering from. However, most medical practitioners will choose a combination of lifestyle change (i.e. avoiding activities or exercises that make the condition worse), medication to ease pain, inflammation and possibly stop the progression of the disease and physiotherapy which can increase joint mobility and decrease pain.

If you have been diagnosed with either the skin condition psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis then it is important to ask your doctor about the other and what you can do to reduce the chances of suffering from both at the same time. In general both conditions will respond well to a healthy diet rich in omega 3, 6 and 9 fats and very gentle exercise such as swimming, walking, yoga or Pilates. Try not to avoid getting the condition seen to if you do have symptoms of psoriatic arthritis as there is a lot that doctors can do in the early stages to stop it progressing quickly and to a stage where it is severe.

Source: Health Guidance