Psoriatic arthritis (Part1): general information

Psoriatic arthritis occurs in patients with psoriasis, a chronic skin disease that affects approximately 3% of world population (180 million). Psoriasis affects the skin and appears as a rash. A percentage of 10 to 30% of patients with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis commonly occurs in males and females aged between 30 and 50 years, but can also affect children.

Signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis often have the hands and feet similar to those found in rheumatoid arthritis, and painful inflammation of the tendon or arthritis in the spine.

Psoriatic arthritis is a combination of symptoms of psoriasis such as dry skin, skin exfoliate and redness areas, arthritis symptoms: pain and swelling in the joints. Joint pain can range from mild to strong. Common symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include varying degrees of skin damage associated with the psoriatic plaque stiffness (stiffness), pain, joint swelling. They may reduce joint mobility to severe joint damage. Untreated, psoriatic arthritis can lead to progressive disability.

Causes. Like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which one human protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) plays an important role in disease development. It seems as infection and trauma play an important role in triggering the disease. And favors the emergence of psoriatic arthritis. Approximately 40% of patients with psoriatic arthritis had a family event.

Risk factors. Is a greater risk to people with psoriasis to develop psoriatic arthritis. A percentage of 10 to 30% of patients with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis.

Other factors:
* Cases in the family. Many people with psoriatic arthritis have a close relative with the disease;
* Age. Although anyone at any age can suffer from this disease, psoriatic arthritis is more common in people aged between 30 and 50 years;
* Sex. Occurs more often in women;
* Weight. Overweight people are more susceptible.

When you go to the doctor? If you feel a constant discomfort and swollen joints, go to the doctor.

How is it diagnosed? A simple test can not diagnosed psoriatic arthritis. The doctor will take into account all symptoms and determine if they are caused by psoriatic arthritis or other diseases (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis).

Here are some tests that can help the diagnosis:

* X-rays help the doctor to observe changes in the joints that occur in psoriatic arthritis;
* Joint fluid analysis. For this test, the doctor harvest a small sample of fluid from the joints (usually the knee);
* Rheumatoid factor test. RF antibody present in the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This test helps your doctor to determine which of the two conditions is present.

Most people are first diagnosed with psoriasis and then begin to experience symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.