A Brief Look At Psoriasis Psoriatic Arthritis

There is definitely a link between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis as seen from the fact that between ten and thirty percent of people that have a psoriasis problem also develop psoriatic arthritis. When psoriatic arthritis develops it leads to inflamed joints and furthermore psoriatic arthritis is a condition that will last a lifetime and it also results in pain, stiff joints and to prevent deformities in your joints it is recommended taking suitable medications.

Know The Connection

In regard to the connection between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis it has to be understood that the former condition develops on a person’s scalp as well as on the nails and when the condition occurs on the scalp it leads to formation of silver-white scales that are often wrongly diagnosed as dandruff. The correct diagnosis of psoriasis requires having a dermatologist do an examination of the nails, skin and scalp and often use is made of skin biopsies that help in confirming the diagnosis.

On the other hand, when studying the differences between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis you will find that the latter condition refers not to scales on the skin but to inflamed joints and people suffering from psoriasis are more at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis. In psoriatic arthritis the joints that are affected include the hands as well as feet while there is also risk that inflammation will occur in the larger joints such as the elbows, knees and hips. Furthermore, these inflammations can spoil the tendons and so cause further grief.

The link between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis has been firmly established as witnessed by the fact that an estimated between five and seven people living in Great Britain that have psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis. As for gender predisposition it was found that psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis affects men and women in equal measure though psoriatic arthritis occurs mostly in people aged between thirty-five and fifty-five; but, it affects people of all ages as well.

In about seventy percent cases people with psoriasis also will develop psoriatic arthritis and in fifteen percent patients will suffer from both skin as well as joint ailments at the same time.

As for psoriatic arthritis medicines it is common for patients to be prescribed with corticosteroids as well as biological modifiers as too disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. In addition, analgesics are prescribed and these include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In the case of severe psoriatic arthritis other medications including analgesics are prescribed that help provide relief from pain and which also improve stiffness.