Describing Psoriatic Arthritis
June 24th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Psoriatic arthritis is actually a combination of two different medical conditions. Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition which causes a patchy rash. The affected area is usually inflamed and scaly. Arthritis is described as an inflammation of the joints and is also chronic. Both conditions are fairly common but psoriasis is predominant in the white population. Some people who develop psoriasis will go on to develop arthritis and this condition is known as psoriatic arthritis.
With certain types of arthritis the female is more prone to having the disease. With psoriatic arthritis both male and female are equally affected. Both conditions usually do not appear at the same time. The majority of the people affected will develop psoriasis before they develop arthritis. Since both conditions are inflammatory, the condition can have an impact on many parts of the body such as the heart and other major organs. The spine is another place which is often affected by psoriatic arthritis. There is currently no known cause or cure for the disease.
What Are Psoriatic Arthritis Symptoms?
Many people who are diagnosed with this disease will experience severe cases of acne, even at an advanced age. The acne is not limited to the face; it often causes other parts of the body to break out in an acne type rash. The nails may also develop ridges and pitting.
The arthritis may involve the knees, feet, hands, ankles, and the spine. People with psoriatic arthritis tend to have more spinal pain than other arthritis sufferers. Joints tend to swell and become stiff which causes moderate to severe pain. The pain and stiffness is most often worse during the morning hours after the patient has been in bed all night. For many people the pain and stiffness gets better as they get up and begin moving. Often a hot shower will also help relieve the joint stiffness.
Patients who are diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis will often develop pain and inflammation in their tendons which makes it more difficult and painful to walk. Many times steroids may be used to reduce the inflammation.
Psoriatic arthritis can cause many other health problems such as lung inflammations and eye disease. People with this diagnosis who experience eye problems should immediately contact their physician since this condition could possibly lead to blindness. The same goes for the lungs. When inflammation is present in the lungs, people may experience difficulty with breathing, or they may develop chest pain. It is extremely important to get medical attention if any of these symptoms occur since they could possibly lead to death.
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Basic Principles Of Psoriatic Arthritis
June 24th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory condition that affects the joins of children and adults with psoriasis. Many definitions of psoriatic arthritis exist, which make it harder to figure out how many people have this disease. While there is no cure for psoriatic arthritis exists, doctors are working to control your signs and symptoms and prevent more damage to your joints.
Psoriatic arthritis is a common condition. Most people develop the skin lesions first and then later diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. Joint pain in people with psoriatic arthritis can range from mild to severe and may experience changing signs and symptoms as the disease progresses. Medications and treatments can help the symptoms and reduce the pain and inflammation of your joints.
What Is It?
Psoriasis arthritis is a chronic life long condition that can be controlled with treatment. Psoriatic arthritis causes pain and swelling. You may also see scaly skin patches on some areas of your body, usually located on your scalp. This is related to the skin condition psoriasis.
A person who has it generally has patches of raised red skin with scales. It can also affect a major organ of your body, like your heart or lungs. The affected skin looks very different and depends on the type of psoriasis the person has. Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease, meaning that you cells and antibodies fight your own tissues. Rarely, an individual can have psoriatic arthritis without having obvious psoriasis. Usually, the more severe the skin symptoms are the greater a person will have psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriatic arthritis may affect one joint or many. Signs and symptoms might include pain in the affected joint, swollen joint and joints that are warm when you touch them. Symptoms are mild in most people but it can become quite severe.
Depending upon your disease, your doctor will prescribe the best possible treatment by controlling your symptoms and preventing secondary infections. Mild cases are usually treated at home with over the counter medication and with else your doctor recommends.
There are support groups if you are experiencing an overwhelming amount of stress. These support groups are very helpful and can give you suggestions and coping with psoriatic arthritis.
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Related Tags: arthritis, autoimmune, eyes, inflammation, lesions, lungs, skin, steroids
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