Facts about psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is the name for a type of arthritis that appears in thepeople who already suffer from psoriasis. Psoriasis is a condition that manifests through the appearance of red patches with the silvery scale on theskin. There are also cases when the joints first get inflamed and then psoriasisoccur, but that is very rare. Psoriatic arthritis may vary in intensity and can affect any area in thebody, even the spine and the fingers. Unfortunately, it has no cure, but it should be treated andits symptoms should be controlled by various treatments in order to prevent thefurther damaging of the affected joints. Otherwise, if this type of arthritis isleft without treatment, it can disable the person to move the affected joint.

Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis

Stiffness and swelling, as well as the ache in the joint, are the mainsymptoms of the inflamed joint, which can also be warm when we touch it. Therheumatoid arthritis is the condition whose symptoms are very much the same asthe symptoms of the psoriatic arthritis. The person suffering from psoriatic arthritismay experience painful and swollen toes and fingers. Furthermore, the Achilles heeltendon may also be painful or affected by Achilles tendonitis, which is the inflammationof that tendon. Plantar fasciitis, which is the inflammation of the tendons inthe soles of the feet, is also one of the symptoms of the psoriatic arthritis.

This condition is also likely tocause the conditions called spondylitis and sacroiliitis. While spondylitisrefers to the inflammation of the joints that are found between the vertebraeof the spine, sacroiliitis refers to the inflammation of the joints foundbetween the pelvis and the spine. The people who already havepsoriasis should visit a doctor if they suddenly experience pain in some oftheir joints in order to prevent the serious damage of the joints.

Causes of psoriasis arthritis

This condition appears when theimmune system starts to attack the healthy cells in the body causing the inflammationof the joints and skin cells multiplication. Furthermore, psoriatic arthritis mayalso be inherited so that the people who have this condition in the medicalhistory of the family are more prone to develop it due to certain genes. It is also considered that psoriaticarthritis may be triggered by some viral and bacterial infection, which spreads from the other parts of the body to the joints.