Psoriatic arthritis is very much like regular psoriasis, with inflammation of the skin and plaque like scale, plus arthritic symptoms. Simply put, it’s like having psoriasis and arthritis at the same time. But in this case, it’s the psoriasis that’s causing the arthritis. Much like regular psoriasis, the cause is unknown, but the disease is known to be inherited hereditarily.

A person suffering from psoriatic arthritis might not have red scaly patches as well defined by regular psoriasis. In exchange for this however, arthritic symptoms takes place. Psoriatic arthritis may also come with nail psoriasis, so be sure to check on changes on the nails as well. Severe arthritis may cause deformation of the nails, so it is important to find out if it is simply nail disfiguration caused by arthritis or whether nail psoriasis is present. In some cases, people with psoriatic arthritis may have inflamed eyes as well, so be sure to monitor changes in the eyes.

If any of these symptoms appear, seek help from a physician immediately. Be aware of your family’s medical background, check if any close relatives have any history of psoriasis. There are no specific tests to find out whether you have psoriatic arthritis or not, your doctor will base it on the symptoms and other generalized medical tests such as; ct scans, x-rays, and MRI’s.

There are many drugs and topical creams to help fight inflammation and arthritis. Phototherapy and UV-B treatments, or a combination of both known as PUVA therapy, are most effective in treating psoriatic arthritis.