Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis connected with the chronic skin condition of psoriasis. Besides joint inflammation, this type of disease can also cause a large swelling of the fingers and bring on symptoms of tendinitis. This disease can develop at practically any age, and on average tends to show symptoms about 10 years after psoriasis first appears. Some cases of psoriatic arthritis may actually develop before any noticeable change in skin.

There are five primary types of this condition. First there is symmetric psoriatic arthritis, the most common sort, which is an illness that affects joints on both sides of the person's body at once. This can be a disabling condition and is comparable with rheumatoid arthritis. An asymmetric formation is still a generally mild case of the condition and somewhat infrequent. This type doesn't occur in the same joints on both sides. Arthritis mutilans is rarer and can be a severe and destructive form of arthritis that can easily cause long-term joint damage. Spondylitis is a special type of this disease which is characterized by stiffness, especially in a person's neck or spine, or hands and feet. Finally, there is distal interphalangeal predominant, which is another rare type that involves inflammation and stiffness in the joints nearest to the ends of a person's fingers and toes.

What sort of treatment is available for psoriatic arthritis? Of course, the major symptom of this disease is inflammation. Therefore, therapy usually focuses on reducing and controlling the level of inflammation that is bothering the patient. Some medications can be helpful in this regard. Another possibility is treating the patient with joint injections, such as corticosteroids. This is more effective if only a few joints are affected, as opposed to the entire body of the patient. Other treatment methods may include immunosuppressants, and a new type of recombinant DNA technology named tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors.

How do you know if you have psoriatic arthritis? Besides swelling, you may be able to see a partial tear or at least heavy inflammation in a certain part of your skin. Symptoms may involve pain, stiffness, aching or a burning sensation around the affected area. Activity will make the pain worse and it will become much stiffer on the following day. Stress can also contribute to the condition. For more on psoriatic arthritis, including ways to reduce the pain, talk to your family practitioner.