There are five main forms of psoriasis, a skin disease that affects nearly 125 people worldwide. In many cases, individuals who suffer from psoriasis will also suffer from psoriatic arthritis. It is estimated that as much as thirty percent of individuals with psoriasis also suffer from psoriatic arthritis.
What is Psoriatic Arthritis?
Psoriatic arthritis is always accompanied by some form of psoriasis. For some individuals, psoriasis will appear prior to the psoriatic arthritis. For others, arthritis will appear prior to the skin disease. There are five types of psoriatic arthritis:
- Arthritis mutilans is a destructive form of arthritis. It is a painful and often disabling form that affects an extremely small number of people. Unfortunately, it often destroys smaller bones in the hands, feet, and other areas of the body, which leads to deformity as well as becoming disabled.
- Asymmetric psoriatic arthritis affect the joints and bones on one side of the body. For example, an individual with asymmetric psoriatic arthritis can have swelling and inflammation of the right ankle, knee, hip, shoulder and so forth.
- Distal interphalangeal (or DIP) joint predominant psoriatic arthritis usually affects men, but is still extremely rare. Generally, it affects the fingers and toes, as well as the nails.
- Spondylitis is the inflammation of the spine, the neck or the lower back. It can also occur in parts of the bone that connect to the spine. Spondylitis will disable an individual over time due to extreme pain and difficulty with movement.
- Symmetric psoriatic arthritis affects bones and joints located on both sides of the body. It affects women more often than men, and generally is extremely severe when it occurs.
Symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis
Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are similar to traditional arthritis. There can be swelling of the joints, stiffness of the bones and overall pain. Psoriatic arthritis can affect any bone in the body, from the tips of the fingers to the spinal cord. For some individuals, it can be extremely painful.
In some cases, psoriatic arthritis can occur before psoriasis. This often leads to a misdiagnosis which cannot be corrected until some form of the psoriasis skin disease appears.
Treatment for Psoriatic Arthritis
Unfortunately, like the skin disease psoriasis — there is no cure for psoriatic arthritis. Without daily exercise and doctor prescribed treatments, an individual can and will become disabled.
There are a variety of creams, combined with regular exercise that can help minimize the effects of both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Those who already show symptoms of psoriasis should seek out a doctor immediately if bone stiffness or joint swelling occurs. Left untreated, psoriatic arthritis can immobilize an individual as well as cause a variety of bone deformities.
Additional Information on Psoriatic Arthritis:
Mayo Clinic - Psoriatic Arthritis
