Psoriatic arthritis is one of the types of inflammatory arthritis. It occurs to the people who are suffering from the skin disease called psoriasis. This is from where it gets its name. Any joint can be affected by psoriatic arthritis. The people suffering from psoriatic arthritis suffer from both the symptoms of arthritis as well as psoriasis.

The cause of psoriasis is yet not known. However, it is believed that this may happen due to genetic mutations. During psoriasis, different parts of the body are affected. The most prominently affected are the skin and nails. However some other parts as organs, bones etc also are affected. When the cartilages and bones in the joints are affected, it is called psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis generally occurs in almost 10% of the total cases of psoriasis. It occurs more commonly to the people above the age of the 40. It can occur to both men and women. In almost 80% of the cases first the skin is affected you psoriasis and shows the symptoms as patches, redness, inflammation etc. the inflammation in the bone i.e. psoriatic arthritis occurs after sometime.

Psoriatic arthritis can affect any number of joints at a single time. If the patient is also facing the psoriasis of the skin and in such a condition if he experiences pain in the joints then there are chances that he may have developed psoriatic arthritis. One of the significant and peculiar symptoms of psoriatic arthritis is development of lensions or pitting on the nails. In more advanced cases, the entire nails are lost. Therefore, in such condition he should get the joints examined by the rheumatologist.

The symptoms are very mush similar to rheumatoid arthritis. The patient experiences pain in a mimicking pattern. The affected joint becomes painful and stiff. After sometime the entire part for example finger, appears to be swollen up. More often, it appears red and if it is touched, it can be sensed to be hot or warmer than the other parts of the body.

Most often the smaller joints and among them more prominently the fingers are affected by psoriatic arthritis. The effects of psoriatic arthritis are generally slow therefore; the damage to the joint also is a slow process.

Psoriatic arthritis itself can be divided into five types. They are symmetric, asymmetric, arthritis mutilans, spondiltis, and distal internaphalangeal predominant.

Treatments are available for psoriatic arthritis. The treatments may involve reducing the inflammation, relief from pain and repair of the damage done by it.