What is Psoriatic Arthritis?
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects some people who have psoriasis — a chronic skin condition causing red, scaly patches. PsA causes joint pain, stiffness, and swelling, and can affect any joint in the body. It can also affect the spine (psoriatic spondylitis), fingernails and toenails (nail psoriasis), and cause a sausage-like swelling of entire fingers or toes (dactylitis).
About 20–30% of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis. It affects men and women equally and most commonly develops between the ages of 30 and 50.
Symptoms
- Joint pain and swelling
- Morning stiffness
- Dactylitis — swollen, sausage-shaped fingers or toes
- Nail changes — pitting, thickening, or separation from the nail bed
- Enthesitis — pain at tendon and ligament attachment sites
- Back pain and stiffness (in spinal involvement)
- Fatigue
Treatment
- NSAIDs — for mild symptoms
- DMARDs — methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide
- Biologics — TNF inhibitors (adalimumab, etanercept), IL-12/23, IL-17 inhibitors
- JAK inhibitors — newer targeted treatments
- Physiotherapy and exercise
- Skin treatments for psoriasis