"Pain is a signal that your arthritis is active, and we don't want to just treat the pain, we want to treat the problem."
(ERIC RUDERMAN,MD)
Q: What is psoriatic arthritis?
A: Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that can occur in people who have psoriasis. It can include anything from arthritis of the small joints of the hands to inflammatory arthritis of the spine to Achilles tendinitis. About 30% of people with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis, and it usually appears 5 to 10 years after the psoriasis begins. A small percentage (10%) of people with psoriatic arthritis will develop it before they develop the skin condition of psoriasis.
Q: How will I know if I am developing psoriatic arthritis?
A: If you have psoriasis and you get any sort of joint symptoms that last more than a few weeks, you should be evaluated to see if you have developed psoriatic arthritis. The primary symptoms are pain and stiffness in a joint or joints. One of the hallmarks is morning stiffness, where it may take you 45 minutes or more to feel loosened up. Tendinitis is another symptom. Interestingly, there isn't a good correlation between the severity of someone's psoriasis and the severity of the arthritis they develop. People with mild psoriasis might be just as likely to develop arthritis as someone with a severe form of the skin disease. Everyone should be aware of that.
Q: What kind of a doctor should I see?
A: You should go to a rheumatologist. Many people who have psoriasis are treated by a dermatologist, and that's a good place to start. But they are not as adept at evaluating joint problems. The key is recognizing whether the arthritis is inflammatory or degenerative, such as osteoarthritis, and a lot of dermatologists and primary care physicians won't necessarily be able to tell.
