Psoriatic Arthritis: Psoriatic Arthritis Review

Psoriatic arthritis is one type of skin disease that is characterized by severe pain and swelling of the skin. You may also observe a scaly appearance in some patches of your skin and joints. In general, psoriasis is also referred to as severe skin inflammation and may affect the knees, toes, ankles and fingers, among other body parts.

In people who are suffering from psoriasis, it is very common that a patient would also experience arthritis- thus the term psoriatic arthritis. There are no specific causes of this ailment but some experts say that it may be genetic.


There are a number of signs and symptoms that you can watch out for if you might think that you might be suffering from psoriatic arthritis. These include pain and swelling on the joints and appearance of skin lesions. You may also experience nail abnormalities and scaly spots in colors of grey or silver that may often appear on the lower end of your spines, elbows, knees and even on your scalp. Psoriatic can also cause fatigue and stiffness. In some cases, one can also experience eye inflammation, iritic or conjunctivitis.


There are a number of ways to diagnose psoriatic arthritis. It can be diagnosed via joint fluid test, x- ray, rheumatoid factor, blood test, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Treating arthritis basically depends on the gravity of the ailment and the type of symptoms a patient experiences. Upon consultation, medical experts would basically try to reduce any joint pains and relieve a patient's scaly and dry skin. He would also try to prevent any joint damage from forming.

Some of the medications that may be prescribed to a patient of psoriatic arthritis include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines that include ibuprofen and aspirin. This would control stiffness, swelling and is best for pain management. Antirheumatic drugs are also prescribed to reduce pain, inflammation and joint damage. Other medications include immunosuppressant medications, isotretinoin and acitretin.

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