Psoriatic Arthritis

What is Psoriatic Arthritis?

Psoriatic Arthritis is a chronic disease that is identified by inflammation of the joints together with psoriasis of the skin. Psoriasis must exist if the diagnosis is psoriatic arthritis. There are over 100 different types of arthritis and psoriatic arthritis is one of the least well-known forms of arthritis.

Psoriasis of the Skin and Psoriatic Arthritis

Approximately 2% of the Caucasian population in the United States is afflicted with psoriasis. Psoriasis is a skin condition with patches of red, raised areas of skin. They become scaly and do not respond to a simple moisturizer. This skin condition usually affects the scalp, face, tips of the elbows, navel, knees, and areas surrounding the anus and genitals. Many sufferers find the appearance of the red scaly areas to be unsightly and embarrassing and often use different methods to hide their illness.

Risk factors forPsoriatic Arthritis

Research statistics indicate that 10% of all Psoriasis patients concurrently develop some form of inflammation in the affected joints. These patients are thus classified and diagnosed as suffering from psoriatic arthritis

Age – psoriatic arthritis usually strikes later in life, with most diagnosed cases occurring between ages 40 and 60

Psoriasis can affect adults and children equally. When children are affected they have a higher chance of developing asthma. As these patients age it is possible they will develop psoriatic arthritis after they reach age 40.

Gender – It appears that gender is not a risk factor, since men and women are affected equally.

What causes Psoriatic Arthritis?

This particular form of arthritis is a system rheumatic disease which means that not only will it attack the joints but also other tissues including the heart, eyes, kidney, lungs and skin. The causes of this disease are not fully understood but some medical researchers believe that the causes may be discovered in genetic predisposition, immune problems and environmental factors.

Genetic predisposition – genetic markers have been discovered in approximately 50% of people suffering with Psoriatic Arthritis. There is a gene marker – HLA-B27 – that appears in many patients diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. However, it is not present in all patients. There are other genes frequently found, furthering the suggestion that psoriatic arthritis is genetic in nature.

Immune problems – changes in immune systems also appear to be a common factor. In these cases, environmental factors (including the presence of infectious agents) may be responsible for the growth of this disease.

Diagnosing Psoriatic Arthritis

When the arthritis appears before the psoriasis this can make the diagnosis very difficult. It has been known in some cases for the arthritis to appear as much as 3 years before the appearance of psoriasis.