Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See all Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See all News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet isĀ not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See all Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See all Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See all Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Psoriasis Chevron Right
  3. Got Psoriasis? 7 Signs You Have Arthritis Too

Got Psoriasis? 7 Signs You Have Arthritis Too

By Amanda MacMillan
December 05, 2011
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Getty Images
Psoriatic arthritis, a type of arthritis that affects people with the skin condition psoriasis, can attack the joints and tendons. Here's seven questions to ask yourself about your condition.
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Undiagnosed arthritis

Credit: Getty Images

Psoriatic arthritis, a type of arthritis that affects people with the skin condition psoriasis, can attack the joints and tendons.

About 22% of people with psoriasis who have not been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis appear to have symptoms of the condition, such as joint pain, swelling, and warmth, according to a 2011 survey by the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF).

Based on the survey, which included 477 people and was funded by pharmaceutical companies, the NPF now recommends that doctors ask psoriasis patients these seven questions.

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Do your joints hurt?

Credit: Getty Images

Sixty-seven percent of the people in the survey who had psoriatic arthritis reported joint pain, and their pain often moved from one joint to another. But even 21% of psoriasis-only patients had joint pain.

Mark McGraw, 52, had joint pain for more than 15 years before he mentioned it to his doctor. "I just figured it was from playing tackle football or breaking horses at my ranch," he says. When the topic finally came up, his doctor asked why he had never mentioned it before.

"'Because you're my dermatologist,'" he recalls saying. "'We talk about skin, not joints.'"

2 of 10

3 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Are your joints stiff or tender?

Credit: Getty Images

In the survey, 34% of psoriasis patients with an arthritis diagnosis had joint stiffness for more than two hours after waking, and trouble getting in and out of a car. (So did 14% of those without an arthritis diagnosis.)

McGraw takes medication that provides some relief and delays joint damage. But he still has pain and stiffness, especially if he doesn't get enough rest.

Since he's often on the road for his medical-sales job, his company allowed him to use an SUV that lets him step up into the driver's seat rather than bend down.

3 of 10

Advertisement

4 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Are your joints red, or hot to the touch?

Credit: Getty Images

Psoriatic arthritis can be any kind of joint inflammation, says Soumya Reddy, MD, codirector of the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, in New York City. "That doesn't mean just pain or swelling," she says. "It could be psoriatic arthritis if it feels like there's fluid inside the joints, or if the joints feel warm or have a red appearance."

In the survey, 28% of psoriatic arthritis patients said their joints sometimes felt hot—but so did 9% of those who had only a psoriasis diagnosis.

4 of 10

5 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Are your joints swollen?

Credit: Getty Images

Psoriatic arthritis can cause swelling in the wrists, knees, ankles, and fingers. In the survey, 48% of those with arthritis—and 14% without—had swollen joints, while 27% and 11%, respectively, had have trouble wearing rings or watches.

This can be misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, but unlike RA, psoriatic arthritis may not affect both sides of the body the same way.

"I pointed to my fingers, my left wrist, and my right ankle," McGraw says he recalls doing when speaking with his doctor. "'Now that you mention it, my joints are painful and swollen.'"

5 of 10

6 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Do your fingers and toes swell like sausages?

Credit: Getty Images

In addition to swelling around the joints, psoriatic arthritis also can cause inflammation of the entire tendon that runs along the fingers and toes, known as dactylitis.

In the survey, 28% of psoriatic arthritis patients (as well as 9% of psoriasis-only patients) said their fingers and toes occasionally became swollen, making them look like sausages.

Because this symptom is much less common in other types of arthritis, it can help doctors distinguish it from other types of arthritis.

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Do you have nail changes?

Credit: Getty Images

Nail discoloration, separation from the nail bed, or pitting (when small depressions form in fingernails or toenails) are symptoms of psoriasis regardless of whether a patient has psoriatic arthritis, says Dr. Reddy.

It's much more prevalent in people who have both conditions, however.

"That can be a tip-off to doctors that the person might have psoriatic arthritis, but there have to be other symptoms," such as joint pain and inflammation, she says.

7 of 10

8 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Do you have back pain?

Credit: Getty Images

"Psoriatic arthritis affects not just areas that people tend to think of as joints, like...their hands or wrists or knees," Dr. Reddy says. "It can affect the spine, so that's why we often ask about pain in the lower back."

Indeed, 49% of the survey's psoriatic arthritis patients—and 31% of those without an arthritis diagnosis—reported back pain. Often the back pain includes stiffness and burning.

Back pain sometimes is the only symptom of psoriatic arthritis, Dr. Reddy says. But the condition also can cause pain in the neck, feet, and pelvis.

8 of 10

9 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Why diagnosis matters

Credit: Getty Images

Like McGraw, 44% of survey participants had psoriatic arthritis symptoms for a year or longer before being diagnosed.

Dr. Reddy says she isn't surprised, and says that several independent studies have found psoriatic arthritis to be an underdiagnosed condition.

The longer arthritis goes untreated, however, the more damage it can do. It also affects quality of life: In the survey, 63% of psoriatic arthritis patients reported not being as active as they once were, and 47% said their disease impairs their ability to work.

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Life after diagnosis

Credit: Getty Images

McGraw, who was diagnosed eight years ago, gave up running for more joint-friendly cycling, and sits near the back of long work meetings so he can stand up and stretch if his back hurts.

But he's thankful he caught the disease before it did further damage. He says he believes his active lifestyle helped keep his arthritis at bay.

"This year alone I've probably climbed eight mountains," he says. "And I do a lot of weightlifting. In fact, I find that when I miss the gym, that's when I start to get sore."

10 of 10

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Amanda MacMillan

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 10 Undiagnosed arthritis
2 of 10 Do your joints hurt?
3 of 10 Are your joints stiff or tender?
4 of 10 Are your joints red, or hot to the touch?
5 of 10 Are your joints swollen?
6 of 10 Do your fingers and toes swell like sausages?
7 of 10 Do you have nail changes?
8 of 10 Do you have back pain?
9 of 10 Why diagnosis matters
10 of 10 Life after diagnosis

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

Got Psoriasis? 7 Signs You Have Arthritis Too
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.