Psoriatic arthritis is inflammatory arthritis that develops in people with psoriasis. It can affect different joints and the organs, such as the GI system and the eyes. Further, persistent inflammation resulting from psoriatic arthritis can cause joint damage. It is most common in people between the age group of 30-50 but can begin earlier in childhood too. Read to know the signs, causes, diagnosis, and treatment for psoriatic arthritis.

Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are both chronic disorders. They aggravate over time, but the symptoms usually come and go. Typically, psoriatic arthritis will impact the joints on one or both sides of the body, and the symptoms are similar to rheumatoid arthritis signs. Psoriatic arthritis can be identified from the following symptoms:

Changes in nail
Nails might crumble, form tiny dents, or separate from the nail beds.

Swollen toes and fingers
Psoriatic arthritis can result in painful swelling in the toes and fingers.

Lower backache
At times, people with psoriatic arthritis might develop spondylitis, which can cause inflammation in the joints between the pelvis and spine or between the spine’s vertebrae.

Eye inflammation
Psoriatic arthritis can cause blurry vision, redness, and eye pain. If left untreated, it can cause vision loss.

Foot pain
Psoriatic arthritis cause pain at the points where the ligaments and the tendons attach to the bones. The pain is maximum at the foot’s sole or the back of the heel.

Causes of psoriatic arthritis

There is no clarity on the exact cause of psoriatic arthritis. However, researchers suspect that it might often develop from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. In addition, immune system issues, physical trauma and infection can also cause it. Fortunately, psoriatic is not contagious or infectious. But, studies suggest that people with psoriatic arthritis have a higher degree of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the affected skin areas and joints. It may overwhelm the immune system, making it tricky to curtail the inflammation resulting from psoriatic arthritis.

Risk factors
Some risk factors aggravate your susceptibility to psoriatic arthritis. These are:

Age
Typically, anyone can get psoriatic arthritis, but it is more prevalent in adults between 30 to 55 years.

Familial link
If your parent or sibling has been diagnosed with the disease, you have a higher risk of getting it.

Psoriasis
It is the single most significant risk factor for developing psoriatic arthritis.

Diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis

If you are experiencing constant issues with your joints and have psoriasis, it would be easier for a rheumatologist to diagnose psoriatic arthritis. But before that, they will try to rule out other conditions, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Hence, to confirm the psoriatic arthritis diagnosis, you may have to take the following tests:

Imaging tests

X-rays – The scans check any changes in the joint. Prevalent in psoriatic arthritis, the changes are uncommon in other kinds of arthritic conditions.

MRI – In MRI, robust magnetic fields and radio waves are utilized to yield detailed images of soft and hard tissues in the body. It can also help assess problems with the ligaments and tendons in your lower back and feet.

Blood tests
Blood tests help check the inflammation level in the body. Further, it also assesses any antibodies common in other kinds of arthritis.

Joint fluid test
Using a needle, the doctor will take a small fluid sample from the knee or any damaged joint to check for the presence of uric crystals. Their presence confirms gout arthritis and rules out psoriatic arthritis. But, at times, you may have both psoriatic arthritis and gout.

Treatment of psoriatic arthritis

UV light
In people with severe psoriasis, UV light therapy helps with skin-related symptoms. But it may increase your susceptibility to developing skin cancer.

Surgery
If psoriatic arthritis has resulted in severe joint damage, it can be replaced with a new one made from plastic or metal.

Apart from these, the doctor might also prescribe a few treatment options. It is extremely important t get doctor’s recommendation before resorting to any treatment option to avoid any side effects.