Psoriatic arthritis

• Article
• 2021-01-30

Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis (joint inflammation) that can occur in people with psoriasis (scaly red and white patches of skin).

What Happens in Psoriatic Arthritis?

Psoriatic arthritis affects the joints and areas where muscles and ligaments attach to bone. Usually, skin disease precedes the arthritis, sometimes by several years. In some cases, arthritis occurs first.

The joints most commonly affected are:

• The outer joints of the fingers or toes.
• Wrists.
• Knees.
• Ankles.
• Lower back.

Symptoms

Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include:

• Joint pain and swelling that may come and go and may be accompanied by redness and warmth.
• Tenderness in which muscles or ligaments attach to the bones, especially the heel and bottom of the foot.
• Inflammation of the spine called spondylitis which can cause pain and stiffness in the neck and lower back.
• Morning stiffness.
• Decreased range of motion of the joints.
• Painful, sausage-like swelling of the fingers and / or toes.
• Thickness and redness of the skin with flaky silvery-white spots called scales.
• Pits in the nails or separation of the nail bed.
• Fatigue.
• Pink eye, inflammation or infection of the membrane lining the eyelid and part of the eyeball.

Therapy

The treatment for psoriatic arthritis depends on its severity. Milder forms of the disease can be treated by:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat pain and inflammation. Ibuprofen and naproxen sodium are available without a prescription, while other NSAIDs are only available by prescription.
• Corticosteroids, which are strong anti-inflammatory drugs, can be injected directly into the affected joint (s).

Forms of the disease that are persistent or affect multiple joints can be treated by:

• Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) that slow down or stop the immune system from attacking the joints and causing damage.
• Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents.

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