What is Psoriatic Arthritis?

Psoriatic [sore’-ee’-at’-ik] arthritis is a chronic (lasting) type of inflammatory arthritis that usually develops in people with psoriasis — a skin disorder where patches of the skin become inflamed and covered with silvery/grey scales. Psoriatic arthritis affects men and women equally, and typically appears between the ages of 20-50.

In psoriatic arthritis, people get swelling and pain in and around their joints. Any number of joints can be affected by psoriatic arthritis: the fingers, wrists, toes, knees, ankles, elbows and shoulder joints. In people whose condition is more severe, they can develop arthritis in the spine and the joints in the lower back called the sacroiliac [sack’-roe’-illy’-ak] joints.

Even the tissues surrounding the joints, like tendons and ligaments, can be affected. In some cases, the fingers and toes of people with psoriatic arthritis swell up. This is called dactylitis [dack’-till’-eye’-tiss’], or “sausage” finger or toe. It’s also common for people with psoriatic arthritis to develop something called enthesitis [en’-theh’-sigh’-tiss]. In enthesitis, the site where a tendon or ligament attaches to the bone becomes inflamed. In people with psoriatic arthritis, enthesitis commonly appears in the heel where the Achilles tendon attaches to the bone.

Although many cases of psoriatic arthritis are mild, some people will develop a more severe form of it. In these cases, psoriatic arthritis can lead to permanent joint damage and even disability. Either way, it is important to speak to your doctor about your treatment options. The sooner psoriatic arthritis is diagnosed and treated, the better.