What Are the Causes of Psoriatic Arthritis?

Psoriatic arthritis is a rare condition that can affect anywhere on the body that psoriasis is present. The end result is inflammation that causes pain and discomfort, and the treatment can be a long regiment of medications.

Identification

• Psoriatic arthritis can strike people with an existing condition of psoriasis. Psoriasis is a condition of the skin where a defect in the immune system causes the body to create extra white blood cells that wind up as patches and scales on the skin. Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system starts to attack healthy cells causing an inflammation of the joints, and when this happens in conjunction with psoriasis it is called psoriatic arthritis. Less than 10 percent of the people suffering from psoriasis contract psoriatic arthritis, and the more severe your psoriasis the higher the chances you will contract psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis happens anywhere psoriasis happens, and psoriasis can occur anywhere on the body.

Genetics

• Nearly half the people that contract psoriatic arthritis have a family history of the condition. It is not clear exactly which gene is passed from generation to generation to cause psoriatic arthritis, but it has been found that many cases of psoriatic arthritis also have some sort of spinal deformity that is linked to the same gene defect. The gene marker HLA-B27 has been discovered to be consistent with many people suffering from psoriatic arthritis and some sort of spinal bone defect.

Immune System

• AIDS patients may be at more of a risk to contract psoriatic arthritis because AIDS hinders the development of immune cells known as helper T cells. Without these cells the immune system can have a difficult time determining which cells in the body are healthy and which are not, and this can cause the attack of healthy cells which results in psoriatis arthritis.

Enviromental Conditions

• Along with potential gene defects and autoimmune disorders, it is also believed that factors outside the body may contribute to the onset of psoriatis arthritis. Something from the environment around a person may trigger the autoimmune system to begin attacking healthy cells, and this could happen at the finger joints suffering from psoriasis. One of the triggers is believed to be over-exposure to the sun on areas suffering from psoriasis. Too much sunlight may trigger the immune system to attack healthy cells in the joints close to the area affected by psoriasis. However, it is not known yet exactly what environmental factors cause these events to happen.

Affected Areas

• Psoriatic arthritis can strike anywhere psoriasis is present. Psoriatic arthritis primarily strikes the tendons and cartilage in joints, but it can also affect internal organs such as the lungs and aorta of the heart. It is also possible for psoriatic arthritis to strike the eyes as well, causing pain when sunlight hits the eyes and requires steroid treatments to control it.