What your joints need

Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory condition that is said to affect about 10-30 percent of people suffering from the chronic skin condition psoriasis. About 80 percent of people with this condition have psoriatic nail lesions characterized by pitting of the nails. In extreme cases, this condition can lead to loss of the nail itself.

Apart from causing joint inflammation, this disease can lead to tendinitis and sausage-like swelling of the digits. This is referred to as dactylitis. Although this condition is prevalent in people aged between 30 and 50, it can also affect children. Men and women are equally affected by this disease. The exact cause of this condition is unknown but genetic association has been identified as a probable cause.

There are five main types of psoriatic arthritis. The symmetric type simultaneously affects joints on both sides of the body. This type is similar to rheumatoid and accounts for about 50 percent of the cases. Asymmetric does not affect the same joints on both sides of the body. In most cases it involves less than three joints.  

Arthritis mutilans is a severe form and can lead to deformities. It affects about 5 percent of the patients. Spondylitis is another type that is characterized by stiffness in the spine or the neck. It can also affect the hands and the feet. Distal interphalangeal predominant is characterized by inflammation and stiffness in the joints nearest to the ends of the fingers and the toes. Psoriatic arthritis can be treated using joint injections with corticosteroids. It can also be treated using NSAIDs and immunosuppressants.