What You Should Know About Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis that is related to chronic joint symptoms and psoriasis, a condition that causes the skin to go patchy, raised, red, or scaly. The symptoms for joint inflammation and psoriasis develop separately.

· Symptoms

Common symptoms of this disease include conjunctivitis, fatigue, lower back pain, stiffness of joints especially in the mornings, swollen fingers and toes, and tendinitis.

· Types

There are five types of psoriatic arthritis recognized and differentiated by the symptoms the patient shows. The five types are arthritis mutilans, asymmetric, distal interphalangeal predominant, spondylitis, and symmetric.

Arthritis mutilans is a disabling, severe, and rare type of arthritis. Only 5 percent of people with arthritis have this type of disease. The small joints of the hands and feet are deformed, along with neck and lower back pain.

Asymmetric arthritis affects any joint, but not the same joints on both sides of the body. The fingers and toes look sausage-like, and the joints become swollen and painful. There are 80 percent of patients who have asymmetric arthritis.

Distal Interphalangeal Predominant (DIP) arthritis is known as a classic type of disease, although it happens to about 5 to 10 percent of patients. The distal joints of the fingers and toes, or the joints closest to the nails, are affected. Even the nails are not exempt from the changes brought about by the disease.

Spondylitis causes inflammation of the spine, and this is considered the primary symptom of the disease. There are 5 to 20 percent of arthritis patients affected by spondylitis. Half the patients of spondylitis have been tested positive for HLA-B27, which is a genetic marker.

Symmetric arthritis causes mild deformations and pain on joints located on both sides of the body, like the knees and hips. There are 25 percent of arthritis patients with this type of disease.

· Treatment

This type of arthritis cannot be diagnosed with just a single test. However, doctors can rule out other types like rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and reactive arthritis through blood tests, MRI, physical examinations, and x-rays.

The medications used for psoriatic arthritis are DMARDs (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs), NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), phototherapy, biologics, and other topical treatments.

Psoriatic arthritis affects 5 to 8 percent of patients, usually 30 to 50 years of age, who have psoriasis. This disease affects both men and women alike. A severe form of this type of arthritis, the patient will suffer symptoms similar to those with the HIV virus.