What Is Psoriatic Arthritis?
Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis that affects people with psoriasis. Psoriasis is a skin condition that is characterized by scaling and swelling. It is caused by a malfunction in the immune system. Similar to other types of arthritis, psoriatic arthritis causes inflammation of joints. It can also affect other areas of the body.
Who Gets Psoriatic Arthritis?
Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that affects up to 8 percent of people with psoriasis. While it can happen at any age, it is more common in people between the ages of 30 and 50. Men and women are equally as likely to develop psoriatic arthritis.
Most often, psoriatic arthritis develops after a person has had psoriasis for several years. However, in 15 percent of people,
psoriatic arthritis symptoms develop before the skin
symptoms of psoriasis appear. In another 15 percent of people, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are diagnosed at the same time.
Cause of Psoriatic Arthritis
Arthritis research scientists do not know the exact cause or causes of psoriatic arthritis. They do think that psoriatic arthritis is caused by a combination of environmental, genetic, and immune system factors. At this point, however, they aren't sure how these factors tie together.
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