What is arthritic psoriasis?
Arthritic psoriasis is a chronic (long-term) disease that causes inflammation in both the joints and the skin. Inflammation (the body's response to injury, stress, or infectious triggers) may produce the following responses at injury sites: heat; pain; redness; and swelling or edema (fluid leaking from surrounding tissue into soft or joint tissue as a defense, lubrication, or shock-protection system, which may impede motion). It is associated with psoriasis, a skin condition that causes red, scaly patches of skin.
Symptoms of arthritic psoriasis may include:
- Joint pain and stiffness: Arthritic psoriasis most commonly affects the small joints of the hands, feet, and spine. Joint involvement varies widely and over time in severity from person to person and may affect only a few or many locations of the body's soft tissues and/or bony surfaces. These painful flare-ups can last for a few days or weeks then remit, only to resurface at intervals or persist as a chronic (longer-lasting) issue, sometimes becoming progressively limiting or even permanently deforming (causing a physical change in size, configuration, and/or mobility).
- Swelling: Soft tissue swellings may occur with pain. The amount of swelling present helps distinguish arthritis (swelling) from tendinitis (pain) - both symptoms common and related, but occurring from distinctly different sources. Swellings in arthritic joints tend to persist and feel spongy when touched, a sign to a doctor of chronic problems with a joint.
- Skin problems: People with arthritic psoriasis also typically have psoriasis, which causes red, scaly patches of skin. These patches can appear anywhere on the body, but they are most common on the elbows, knees, scalp, and lower back.
- Nail problems: Arthritic psoriasis can also affect the nails, causing them to become pitted, discolored, or thickened.
Arthritic psoriasis can range from mild to severe. In some cases, it can lead to joint damage and disability. There is no cure for arthritic psoriasis, but treatment can help to relieve symptoms and prevent joint damage.