Early signs of PsA include swelling in the fingers, eye inflammation, fatigue, nail changes, and joint stiffness. PsA usually occurs in people who already have psoriasis, but it can also develop independently. It causes joint pain and inflammation.
“Worsening joint pain and swelling, or new or worsening psoriatic lesions, are the most common red flags that someone is having a PsA flare,” says Yamen Homsi, M.D., the section chief of rheumatology at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, NY.
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, or ESR or sed rate, is a blood test that measures inflammation in the body, which helps determine a psoriatic arthritis diagnosis, explains Elaine Husni, MD, MPH, vice chair of rheumatology and director of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Center at the Cleveland Clinic.
Blood tests can help diagnose psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rule out other possible causes of joint pain and stiffness, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Examples include tests for c-reactive protein (CRP) and rheumatoid factor. Doctors do not rely solely on blood tests to diagnose PsA.
The skin symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include a rash, thick, red skin, or flaky, silver-white scaly patches, as in plaque psoriasis. The skin may itch and be painful. Up to 85% of people with PsA experience skin problems associated with psoriasis before having psoriatic arthritis symptoms.
PsA is often undiagnosed and can be misdiagnosed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA), especially in a non-rheumatologic setting [7–9]. RA is a chronic inflammatory arthritis typified by pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints, particularly symmetric small-joint synovitis of the hands and feet [10].
Joint pain, stiffness and swelling are the main signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. They can affect any part of the body, including your fingertips and spine, and can range from relatively mild to severe. In both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, disease flares can alternate with periods of remission.
Swelling around the ankle is common in psoriatic arthritis affecting the foot. Psoriatic arthritis can lead to shortening or clawing of the toes, hyperextension of the big toe and some in-rolling of the ankle with flattening of the metatarsal arch.
Foods like fatty red meats, dairy, refined sugars, processed foods, and possibly vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants (you might hear them called nightshades) may all cause inflammation. Avoid them and choose fish, like mackerel, tuna, and salmon, which have omega-3 fatty acids.
Your doctor will most likely offer you a medicine called a DMARD (disease-modifying antirheumatic drug). DMARDs help calm your symptoms, may slow down the disease, and prevent or slow joint damage. Conventional DMARDs and systemic psoriasis drugs are often the first medicines prescribed. Methotrexate is common for PsA.
“Psoriatic arthritis is a systemic inflammatory condition,” Gupta says. “Left untreated, it can result in fatigue and a general feeling of sickness. It can also result in anemia due to prolonged inflammation.” Anemia can be an independent reason for fatigue and can be resolved with treatment, adds Gupta.
It happens most often in the fingers and toes.
Even so, the pain and discomfort associated with psoriatic arthritis can be significant. A study published in 2015 in the journal PLoS One found that the overall pain, joint pain, and fatigue reported by psoriatic arthritis patients was significantly greater than that reported by people with rheumatoid arthritis.
You'll probably think of skin issues first, but your eyes, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal (GI) tract (stomach and intestines), liver and kidneys may also be affected.
Psoriatic arthritis risk factor: Age
Psoriatic arthritis can start at any age. However, it occurs most often in adults ages 30 to 50. For the majority of patients, PsA starts five to 10 years after the development of psoriasis, says Dr.
Generally psoriatic arthritis is a mild condition. With proper treatment and help from others you can relieve joint pain and stiffness and keep skin problems under control. Some people however have a more serious disease and require combinations of medications to control symptoms and prevent joint damage.
Eye dryness, eye pain, and conjunctivitis are some common problems associated with psoriatic arthritis. A less-frequent psoriatic eye condition is inflammation in the middle layer of the eye, known as uveitis, which can lead to permanent eye damage and vision loss if left untreated.
Endurance exercises
These activities can help improve your cardiovascular fitness and overall health as well as your psoriatic arthritis symptoms. The best endurance exercises for people who have psoriatic arthritis are walking, swimming, and biking, Lindsey says.
For many people who have psoriatic arthritis, waking up is not the highlight of the day. Joint pain and stiffness are often most severe in the mornings. Inflammatory activity can surge at night because of your body's circadian rhythms.
Both psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia can result in pain and fatigue, but people with psoriatic arthritis have these symptoms that differentiate the condition from fibromyalgia: Tender, swollen joints. The swelling of a whole toe or finger, referred to as “sausage digits”
The Arthritis Foundation lists joint pain, stiffness, skin rashes, fatigue, nail changes, decreased range of motion, and swelling as some of the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. When you combine these problems, the results can be debilitating. “It's like feeling your bones shatter and crumble.
The disease often appears between ages 30 and 50. For many people, it starts about 10 years after psoriasis develops, but some develop PsA first or without ever developing or noticing psoriasis.