Tens of millions of Americans experience the pain and physical limitations of arthritis. Yet arthritis isn't a single medical problem but a group of more than 100 conditions that can cause inflammation in your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones.
One of these conditions is psoriatic arthritis, which may affect as many as 1 million of the approximately 6 million Americans who have psoriasis. Most are adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s, but children also can develop a form of the disease.
In addition to the inflamed, scaly skin that's typical of psoriasis, people with psoriatic arthritis have swollen, painful joints — especially in their fingers and toes — and pitted, discolored nails. They may also develop inflammatory eye conditions such as conjunctivitis.
There are several types of psoriatic arthritis, with symptoms that range from mild to severe. In general, the disease isn't as crippling as other forms of arthritis, but if left untreated it can cause discomfort, disability and deformity. Although no cure exists for psoriatic arthritis, medication, physical therapy and lifestyle changes often can relieve pain and slow the progression of joint damage.
