Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis, also known as arthropatic psoriasis, is a form of inflammatory arthritis. It is a complex condition which causes pain and swelling in the joints. 20% of the people who are suffering from psoriasis (a chronic skin condition) suffer from this disease. Generally the patients suffering from psoriasis have the type of tissue HLA-B27. As a result of the disease scaly rashes are formed on their skin, generally on the knees, elbows, and scalp.
Psoriatic arthritis causes pain and swelling in and around the elbows, fingers, wrists, fingers, toes, knees, shoulders and ankles. Sometimes the spine is also affected by the disease and causes them to pain. The sacroiliac joints (joints in the lower back) can too be affected by the disease. Moreover, psoriatic arthritis can also damage the tissues (ligaments and tendons) surrounding the joints.
Who are susceptible to psoriatic arthritis?
As previously stated, psoriatic arthritis is generally connected with psoriasis. A report stated that around 80% of the people affected with psoriatic arthritis build up psoriatic nail lesions. In this case pitting of nails occurs and in extreme cases the nail itself is lost (called, onycholysis).
Similar to most type of arthritis, psoriatic arthritis knows no age bar. It can occur at all ages. However, according to laboratory reports, this condition appears after 10 years of the first sign of psoriasis. Most of the patients develop this condition between age thirty and fifty, but psoriatic arthritis can also affect children.
The disease affects both the genders equally. This means, male and female has same tendency to this disease.
Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis
The signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are the following:
• Swelling as well as pain in the joints, generally occurring first in the toes and fingers.
• The toenails or fingernails, or both tend to lift up from their actual position and small holes are visible on their surfaces (known as pitting).
• The ligaments and tendons pains and swell.
• You feel tired and stiff in the mornings.
What to do when you have psoriatic arthritis?
To cure a disease, medical scientists need to find the underlying cause that causes it. It is the biggest challenge before curing any disease. Unfortunately, medical science has not yet been able to find the exact cause of psoriatic arthritis. However, various treatments are made for psoriatic arthritis and they are prepared in such a way that they reduce the unbearable pain that a person suffers due to inflammation of the joints.
The very first step to treat the condition is to do a correct diagnosis. It is important because based on the results the doctors will asses you. Moreover, the therapies that are available today work best when the disease is at its nascent stage. Consult your doctor as soon as you find symptoms of psoriasis. Correct treatment can help you to stop the disease progress.
Related posts:
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.