Know About Psoriasis Arthritis

Have you heard of psoriasis arthritis? Well, it is a variant of arthritis but is of the inflammatory kind. It has been seen that around 30% of the people suffering from psoriasis falls victim to psoriasis arthritis. It is basically seronegative spondyloarthropathy and therefore it has been noticed it occurs more commonly in people who have HLA-B27 tissue type. It is also known as psoriatic arthritis, arthropathic psoriasis and arthritis psoriatica. The treatment for psoriatic arthritis is more or less similar to that of rheumatoid arthritis. It can develop at any age and the people affected usually have psoriatic lesions on their nails that are characterized by pitting of the nail or loss of nail.

Types:

If you want to gather detailed knowledge about psoriasis arthritis it is extremely important you know about its types. Knowing the types make the treatment a lot easier and faster. It can actually be classified into five different categories.

• Symmetric- the first type is symmetric psoriasis arthritis. It is the most common type and almost 50% of the patients are affected by it. In this type the joints on both sides of your body will be affected simultaneously. Its characteristics are quite similar to that of rheumatoid arthritis and in almost 50% of the cases it is disabling.

• Asymmetric- the second type of psoriasis arthritis is asymmetric. It is basically a milder variant and affects nearly 35% of the patients. It differs from the first type in terms of the fact it does not affect the same joints on both sides of your body. Rather less than 3 joints of your body will be affected.

• Arthritis Mutilans- The third type of psoriasis arthritis is arthritis mutilans. It is a very severe type and is often deforming and destructive. It affects about 5% of the patients. It progresses over quite a large span of time and can severely affect your joints. This condition can be detected in people with rheumatoid arthritis at times. It is also known as chronic absorptive arthritis.

• Spondylitis- you must have definitely heard of this type of psoriasis arthritis. In this type your neck or your spine becomes stiff. However in some cases it may also affect your feet or hands. It is quite similar in fashion to symmetric arthritis.

• Distal Interphalangeal Predominant- the last type of psoriasis arthritis is the distal interphalangeal predominant. The joints towards the end of your finger and toes are affected and they become stiff. There may be changes in the nail too. About 5% of the patients are affected by this type.

Treatment

Generally the treatment for psoriasis arthritis involves a combination of exercise and anti inflammatory medications. However, if it is seen that the spread of psoriasis is not restricted in spite of anti inflammatory treatment medications like hydroxycholoquine and methotrexate are used. As far as the exercise for psoriasis arthritis treatment is concerned you can try them at home or take the help of a physical therapist. The exercise regime will depend on the extent of your disease and your physical capabilities. You can try a hot shower before the exercises. It will relax your muscles and this will prove to be beneficial.