Certain things can trigger psoriatic arthritis, including an infection that sets off your immune system (like strep throat). You should also remember things like an injury to your skin, stress, not taking your medicine, and not sleeping well can also cause your PsA to flare up.
If your PsA becomes more serious, you might have other health issues, including:
Living with psoriatic arthritis has its challenges beyond pain, stiffness, and fatigue.
There can be an emotional side to the disease, too. It's not unusual to get frustrated by your symptoms and find it harder to do simple tasks. You may worry about the cost of your treatment or how it affects other people.
You can deal with these emotions in a positive way. While you may not be able to cure your condition, you do have a say in how you handle it.
Psoriatic arthritis can happen if you have psoriasis, a condition that causes your skin to get red patches and silvery scales. Sometimes people get psoriasis first and then have psoriatic arthritis later, but others get the arthritis symptoms first. Up to 30% of people with psoriasis get psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis happens when your immune system attacks your healthy cells and tissues. This causes your joints to get inflamed and your skin to make too many cells.
Doctors aren’t sure what causes psoriatic arthritis, but these things may play a role:
One reason white people are diagnosed with it more may be, in part, because psoriasis is easier to see on lighter skin. Doctors may be more likely to miss or misdiagnose psoriasis in people with darker skin.
Most people with psoriasis don’t develop psoriatic arthritis, but about 30% do. It’s not common, but some people who develop psoriatic arthritis don’t have psoriasis symptoms. But they may develop them later.
Certain things can trigger PsA, including:
These can show cartilage changes or bone and joint damage that suggests arthritis in your spine, hands, or feet. psoriatic arthritis usually looks different on X-rays than rheumatoid arthritis does.
You might hear it called sausage digits. This is often the first symptom of psoriatic arthritis. It causes your fingers and toes to swell until they look like sausages. Less than half of people with psoriatic arthritis get this condition, though it usually goes along with more severe forms of the disease.
Medications can often help manage PsA. They include:
You may need to try several different medications. You might use more than one drug, and your doctor could frequently adjust your doses.
If your psoriatic arthritis is more serious, your doctor will probably prescribe one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These drugs work on your immune system to reduce inflammation.
They may start with conventional DMARDs. These can reduce pain, swelling, and skin symptoms. They have not been proven to help prevent joint damage, though.
If you have severe psoriatic arthritis, or you don’t get results from conventional DMARDs, your doctor may prescribe another type of DMARD called a biologic. You might get one along with a conventional DMARD. Because they can slow joint damage, some doctors recommend them as the first treatment for people who already have serious symptoms.
Biologic drugs work by targeting very specific parts of your immune system.
Physical therapy helps you keep or increase strength and flexibility. An occupational therapist can teach you how to put less strain on your joints during daily activities.
If your PsA has badly damaged your joints, your doctor might recommend surgery. An operation could help ease pain, restore movement, and improve your quality of life. But it doesn’t treat the inflammation your condition causes. For that, you’ll still need to take medication.
Canes and crutches can help provide support, ease your pain, and help you get around when your back, hips, or legs are affected.
Joint replacement surgery can help improve your quality of life. You may need it if joint damage from your PsA has damaged your cartilage, bones, synovium (the connective tissue inside of a joint), and ligaments (the tissue that connects bones, cartilage, and joints). Typically, your care team will focus on joints causing you the most pain or impacting your ability to move. In some procedures your surgeon replaces a damaged joint, such as those in your hip or knee, with an artificial version made of metal or plastic.
Psoriatic arthritis can affect both the inside and outside of your body. If you’ve been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, you may have symptoms like stiff, aching joints and scaly, itchy skin patches. The main goal of treatment is to control the inflammation that causes your joints to swell and ache. That will ease your pain and help prevent further damage.
This can mean different things for different people.
If you're a college professor and your treatment gets rid of all your symptoms except two swollen finger joints, you might be OK with that. But if you're a concert violinist who relies on those joints for a living, those same symptoms could be a show-stopper.
Living with psoriatic arthritis has its challenges beyond pain, stiffness, and fatigue. There can be an emotional side to the disease, too. It's not unusual to get frustrated by your symptoms and find it harder to do simple tasks. You may worry about the cost of your treatment or how it affects other people. You can deal with these emotions in a positive way. While you may not be able to cure your condition, you do have a say in how you handle it.
Tell your doctor what you need to keep up with your day-to-day activities.
Other psychiatric conditions linked to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis include:
Chronic conditions also have a powerful influence on your emotional and mental health. That’s not just because of physical effects on your brain. Many of these disorders, like chronic pain, can lead to depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and other issues because they’re hard to live with. They can cause stress due to health care costs and lost productivity at work. Psoriasis also has visible physical symptoms that may embarrass you and harm your self-esteem.
If you start to notice symptoms of anxiety or depression, help is available. Here are some ways to deal with them: