Psoriatic Arthritis-the Skin Condition You Wish Didn’t Exist
Sunday, November 4th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Most people don’t realize that there are over 100 types of arthritis in existence.
Psoriatic arthritis is definitely one of the lesser known types of arthritis. But it is a serious form of arthritis nonetheless. Oh, if it only got the “glamor girl” attention that rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis does! Come on people, give psoriatic arthritis its due! Pay attention here!
We can learn a lot about this disease just from the name of the disease. Guess what? This joint condition is associated with a skin condition often known as “the heartbreak of psoriasis”. I know you’ve heard of that one! Well,psoriasis is a rather common skin condition in which the skin of the body reacts and shows up as red, raised patches on the skin, alligator-like scaly skin and simply an over all, generalized inflammation of the skin. Right now, psoriasis is known to affect around 2% of Caucasian Americans. But it is important to remember that this skin condition can most definitely appear in others besides just the Caucasian population.
The skin condition psoriasis most often affects the scalp, face, navel, tips of the elbows, knees, and areas surrounding the genitals and anus. Health professionals estimate that 10 per cent of all psoriasis patients concurrently develop some form of inflammation in the affected joints. These patients are thus classified as suffering from psoriatic arthritis.
Obviously, one of the major risk factors for developing psoriatic arthritis is the presence of the skin disorder, particularly if it affects the joints. Psoriatic arthritis usually strikes later in life, with most diagnosed cases occurring in the fourth or fifth decades of the patient’s life. It appears that gender is not a risk factor, since men and women are affected equally.
The majority of those who battle psoriatic arthritis actually battle psoriasis first. Yes, many patients experience the onset of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis at different times. So it should be a warning sign that if you see psoriasis that you should also be on the look out for the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.
However, some patients develop arthritis before the onset of psoriasis. Roughly 15 per cent of psoriatic arthritis patients report the presence of arthritic symptoms before developing psoriasis. In fact, many patients report living with psoriasis for many years before developing any signs of arthritis.
Psoriatic arthritis is a systematic disease just like other forms of arthritis. With any systemic disease, other areas of the body can be attacked as well. So this simply means that you best be on the look out for problems with other body parts. For example, psoriatic arthritis patients can also be at risk for other problems with the kidneys and lungs. Patients may also experience problems with the heart, the eyes and the mouth. Systemic … affecting other areas as well. The whole body is at risk.
In the most serious cases of psoriatic arthritis, the impact on your vital organs can be life altering. With psoriatic arthritis, you are also at increased risk for spinal inflammation with can cause increased pain and limited movements.
So, here’s the million dollar question. Just what causes psoriatic arthritis? Want the million dollar answer? Ok, here it is, we don’t really know the cause of psoriatic arthritis. While there are many scholarly theories out there that attempt to explain the basis of psoriatic arthritis, the precise cause remains a mystery. Current research seems to point to many factors which can contribute to the development of psoriatic arthritis. One such factor is environmental, another is a flaky immune system and finally a genetic marker, known as HLA-B27. This particular genetic marker is found in many psoriatic arthritis patients, but it is not always the case and so don’t count on it.
Other genes also appear frequently, furthering the notion that psoriatic arthritis is genetic in nature. Currently there are blood tests available that test individuals for these genes. Another common factor in most psoriatic arthritis cases helps support the notion that the disease is at lease partly immune in nature. Changes in the immune system also appear to be a common factor. In these cases, environmental factors (including the presence of infectious agents) may be responsible for the development of the disease.
Psoriatic arthritis is not something to be taken lightly. It is a serious health condition and must be managed as such. Partnering with your health care provider can produce the best result in managing this disease.
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