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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffPsoriatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that affects some people who have psoriasis, a serious skin condition. Most people develop psoriasis first and are later diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, but arthritis can sometimes develop before skin lesions appear.
Joint pain, stiffness and swelling are the main symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. They can affect any part of your body, including your fingertips and spine, and can range from relatively mild to severe. In both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, disease flares may alternate with periods of remission.
No cure for psoriatic arthritis exists, so the focus is on controlling symptoms and preventing damage to your joints. Without treatment — and regular exercise — psoriatic arthritis may be disabling.
- Questions and answers about psoriasis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/psoriasis/psoriafs.htm. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
- Psoriatic arthritis. American College of Rheumatology. http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/psoriatic_new.asp. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
- Psoriasis of the nails. National Psoriasis Foundation. http://www.psoriasis.org/about/psoriasis/sites/nails.php. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
- Psoriatic arthritis. National Psoriasis Foundation. http://www.psoriasis.org/about/psa. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
- Gordon KB, et al. The treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: An interdisciplinary approach. The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2006;54(3)(suppl):S85-S91.
- Cerhan JR, et al. Antioxidant micronutrients and risk of rheumatoid arthritis in a cohort of older women. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2003;157(4):345-354.
- Imokawa S, et al. Methotrexate pneumonitis: Review of the literature and histopathological findings in nine patients. The European Respiratory Journal. 2000;15(2):373-381.
- Tobin AM, et al. TNF alpha inhibitors in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. BioDrugs. 2005;19(1):47-57.
- Gladman DD, et al. Patient information: Psoriatic arthritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 11, 2008.
