subject: Important Info Related To Psoriatic Joint Disease [print this page] Psoriatic arthritis refers to the inflammation of skin and joints. It is characterized by the occurrence of scaly patches over certain areas of the skin that turn into bright red. Such areas which get influenced by the illness include the navel, genital areas, scalp, knees and elbows.
This is a particular type of arthritis that takes place in those people who have psoriasis already. A person suffering from psoriatic arthritis will have symptoms of both the skin and joint disorder.
There is no gender difference found between the occurrence of this illness, as both women and men have a fair chance of ending up with it. People who are in their thirties to fifties have a higher probability of acquiring it. Furthermore, the symptoms may be high in intensity for some, while much lower for the rest.
It is important to be familiar with the symptoms and recognize them when they start showing up, as if they are not treated on time, the symptoms may worsen, resulting in more serious health issues.
An example of the most common symptoms of psoriatic arthritis is the influence that it has over the toes and fingers. The appearance of rashes becomes more evident over the knees and elbows of such a person.
The joints start to swell up which causes great pain and uneasiness. For example, the swelling of the wrists and fingers, knees, ankles and toes would result in the person hardly being able to carry out any of the tasks in daily routine. The fingers and toes may swell up to such an extent that they would appear to be sausage like. Moreover, grayish scales would show up on the scalp and other areas where the condition has taken its toll.
The patient would at times experience pain in the back and buttocks, apart from the one that takes place due to the swelling up of joints. Nails of the fingers and toes may get badly affected, becoming pitted and chipping off. Lastly, the person may go through morning stiffness, along with fatigue and high levels of tiredness.
