Psoriatic Arthritis

Conditions & Diseases: Skin Diseases

Psoriasis

Overview:

Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammation of the joints that occurs in 10 to 30 percent of patients with psoriasis. It is not a type of psoriasis, but a symptom of psoriasis which is classified as a type of arthritis.

Approximately 1 million people in the United States suffer from psoriatic arthritis. Most of them are adults between the ages of 30 to 50. However, psoriatic arthritis can affect juveniles and young people.

"Children with psoriatic arthritis usually develop signs and symptoms of the disease around age 9 or 10. Symptoms are often mild, although some children may have severe and debilitating problems that last into adulthood." (1)

Symptoms: Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that accompanies psoriasis. However, arthritic symptoms may develop long after the skin lesion symptoms of psoriasis. "...skin and joint problems usually don't develop simultaneously." (1) However, another source suggests that 1 in 20 people with psoriasis will develop arthritic and skin conditions at the same time. (2)

Symptoms to wach out for, besides pain and discomfort in joints, includes those symptoms that are associated with psoriasis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, 80 percent of patients with psoriatic arthritis have the nail lesions associated with plaque psoriasis.(3)

Psoriatic arthritis symptoms are highlighted by joint pains to include:

Fingers and toes.
Wrist pain, knee pain, hip pain, elbow pain, ankle pain
Spine and Pelvic joints.

Although not as severe or debilitating as other forms of arthritis, if left untreated, psoriatic arthritis can lead to chronic pain and discomfort.

Causes: The exact cause of psoriatic arthritis is unknown. Genetics may play a role since many patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis also have a family member with the condition. It is thought that those who are predisposed to arthritis, will develop psoriatic arthritis.

Diagnosis: No specific tests exist for psoriasis. Blood, x-ray and CT scans tests may help your doctor in assessing your arthritis.(4)

Treatment: Treatment of psoriatic arthritis usually begins with treatment for psoriasis which includes the 3 stage or 1-2-3 approach of:

Topical Therapy (applied directly to the skin)
Light Therapy (treatments where skin is exposed to ultraviolet light)
Systemic Therapy (drugs or medications taken orally or by injection.

For more information about this 3-step approach, see Psoriasis Treatment Options

When it comes to specific treatment options for psoriatic arthritis, encouraging progress has been made with biologic response modifiers, also called biologics.

Unlike other medicines which are made from chemical compounds, biologics are made from human or animal proteins. They have been in use for 100s of years but have only recently been steered towards and applied to patients with psoriasis. A new class of medicines from biologics have emerged recently and are proving effective in treating psoriasis.

Two of these new biologics include Enbrel and Humira which have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis.

Enbrel was approved by the FDA in January 2002 for the treatment of both psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. Enbrel works by controlling the cytokines which lead to inflammation.
Humira was approved by the FDA in October 2005 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. It is currently being studied as a treatment for psoriasis. According to the NPF, "...some doctors are already prescribing it "off-label" for this disease—a common and accepted medical practice." (5)

Article by Jason Morrow,
OmniMedicalSearch.com

Sources:
(1) Mayo Clinic, Psoriatic Arthritis, DS0046, April 2005
(2) MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Psoriatic Arthritis, updated April 2005 by Stanford Peng, M.D., Ph.D
(3) Arthritis Foundation, Psoriatic Arthritis,
(4) EmedicineHealth.com, Psoriatic Arthritis, Kristine M Lohr, MD, reviewed October 2005
(5) National Psoriasis Foundation, Enbrel, and Humira, 2006

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Page Last Modified:
09/09/2010