If left untreated, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can cause permanent joint damage, which may be disabling. In addition to preventing irreversible joint damage, treating your PsA may also help reduce inflammation in your body that could lead to other diseases. These other diseases are often referred to as comorbidities.
Heart Disease
With PsA, you're more likely to have heart problems than other people. If you're overweight or have diabetes, your risk is even higher. Some doctors believe the link between PsA and heart disease is inflammation. It may cause fatty deposits called plaques to build up inside your blood vessels.
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.
The best way to improve your symptoms is to get moving with gentle, low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, yoga, and tai chi. Movement can lessen pain and expand your range of motion. These activities may also help you relax, ease your stress, and sleep better.
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.
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.
There are eight primary triggers of psoriatic arthritis: stress, illness, skin trauma, drug interactions, alcohol and cigarette smoke, diet, and dry and cold weather. Symptoms can vary widely, and so can treatment options.
If left untreated, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can cause permanent joint damage, which may be disabling. In addition to preventing irreversible joint damage, treating your PsA may also help reduce inflammation in your body that could lead to other diseases.
When you have psoriatic arthritis, you want to stay away from foods that can make the inflammation in your body worse. These include: Alcohol: It makes your liver work harder and disrupts the way your organs work together. Sugar: It sends out things called cytokines that create inflammation in your body.
Rheumatologists often prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs, to people with psoriatic arthritis. These medications can help ease pain and curb the swelling that accompanies this condition. Common NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.
Joints in the arms, legs, hands, and feet may also be involved. The most severe and least common type of psoriatic arthritis is called arthritis mutilans.
Psoriatic Arthritis Blood Test: Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Test. Blood tests that look for the presence of anti-cylic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCPs), which are inflammatory, are commonly used to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, but anti-CCPs can also indicate psoriatic arthritis.
Late-Stage or Advanced Psoriatic Arthritis
PsA is considered advanced or late-stage “when patients have a lot of damage due to erosion and the fusion of joints,” says Dr. Mikulik. Inflammation causes bone tissue to break down, leading to deformity and disability.
Psoriatic arthritis is closely linked to leukemia, lymphoma, and breast cancer. 21. Psoriasis is closely associated with leukemia, lymphoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers. Rheumatoid arthritis is closely linked to both lymphoma and lung cancer.
More frequent (or intense) flares
If you're having more frequent psoriatic flares, or if your flares are keeping you in bed or affecting multiple joints, it's really important to let your rheumatologist know, says Dr. Schulman.
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.
Regular exercise can help you to prevent or manage the discomfort of psoriatic arthritis. NYU Langone doctors often recommend range-of-motion exercises, which preserve and restore joint motion. They also encourage strength training, which builds muscle and tendon strength to help stabilize and support joints.
For all these reasons, it's best to stay away from alcohol, Dr. Mikulik says. Instead, drink green tea, which is rich in polyphenols, or beneficial compounds that have anti-inflammatory effects, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
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.
“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.
“Some people describe fatigue like their battery running out; some people talk about exhaustion before the end of day — like by 3 p.m. you can't go on without a nap or drinking excessive amounts coffee, which doesn't work; and some people talk about not being able to mount energy [for everyday activities],” she says.
“Fatigue is a common symptom of psoriatic arthritis. And for perhaps a third of people with the disease, the fatigue is severe,” says rheumatologist Rochelle Rosian, MD. As anyone dealing with chronic exhaustion knows, it can have a significant impact on your quality of life.
Why it's good for psoriatic arthritis: Walking is easy to do and is great for building muscle and maintaining flexibility in your joints. It's also a weight-bearing exercise, which means it helps strengthen bones, and is great for weight loss.
Psoriatic arthritis often causes joint swelling and tendon and ligament inflammation, which is mainly responsible for morning stiffness, says Anca Askanase, MD, MPH, a rheumatologist and associate professor of medicine and director of rheumatology clinical trials at NewYork Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University ...