Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated : October 12, 2015 9:33 AM IST
My uncle is 45-years-old. He was diagnosed with psoriasis around 3 years back and is currently on medications for the same. Recently, he started experiencing severe joint pain and when consulted a doctor was told to be suffering from psoriatic arthritis. What is psoriatic arthritis? How is it treated?
Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system produces antibodies that instead of attacking the antigens or foreign bodies, attack the healthy cells. Psoriatic arthritis causes inflammation of the joints, leading to severe joint pain along with redness and itching of the skin. Although the exact cause of this disease is unknown, according to a study published in the journal, Annals of Rheumatic Disease, around 6 - 42% of people suffering from psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis. Also, people in the age group of 30 55 years and those with a family history of psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis (parent or brother with the condition) are at high risk of suffering from this disease.
There is no cure for psoriatic arthritis, but the treatment options are aimed at controlling the symptoms and preventing joint damage. If left untreated, it could lead to severe joint pain (of hips, spine, knees and fingers) and itching of the skin (dry and scaly patches). Hence to deal with this, the main goal is to prevent flare-ups by keeping a tab on the factors that put you at risk. These include staying away from its triggers like environmental pollutants, skin disease or throat infection. Also, exercises and eating a healthy diet plays a key role in dealing with the disease. And as far as treatment is concerned, anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs), DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs), immune-suppressants, TNF-alpha inhibitors and steroid injections are commonly recommended. In extreme cases of joint damage, joint replacement surgery is the preferred treatment option.
So consult a good doctor and get your health check-ups done. Take the medications as recommended and on time. And if the symptoms do not subside, tell your doctor so that he/she might change the medications. Also, follow a healthy diet and active lifestyle to prevent flare-ups, which is quite common in the case of psoriatic arthritis. Also, read about arthritis -- causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
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Reference:
Gladman DD, Antoni C, Mease P, Clegg DO, Nash P. Psoriatic arthritis: epidemiology, clinical features, course, and outcome. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 Mar;64 Suppl 2:ii14-7. Review. PubMed PMID: 15708927; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1766874.
