Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease that causes the person who has it to have red and scaly lesions on their skin, usually on their elbows, knees, hands, and feet, but often all over their body. The cause of psoriasis is the subject of much debate among dermatologists and other doctors, but it is thought that the root cause is a digestive problem casually termed as “leaky gut” which allows toxins to seep into the bloodstream, thus setting off an immune response that causes the skin cells to proliferate inappropriately.

In addition to the skin woes, a psoriasis patient may also develop psoriatic arthritis – a type of arthritis that is tied into the inflammation happening in the body because of the psoriasis. Just as there are several types of psoriasis, there are also several types of psoriatic arthritis.

One type is called symmetric psoriatic arthritis. This type shares a lot of the same symptoms with rheumatoid arthritis, and the pain can be disabling. This type of arthritis is called “symmetric” because it often affects the identical joints on each side of the body – both elbows, both knees, etc.

Another type of psoriatic arthritis is called asymmetric psoriatic arthritis. This is arthritis that involves joints on one side of the body or another – it can be a right knee and a left elbow, or some combination, but is not characterized by the same joints on each side of the body being inflamed like with symmetric psoriatic arthritis.

Distal interphalangeal predominant psoriatic arthritis (DIP) affects small joints like fingers and toes, and is sometimes confused with osteoarthritis, which is a type of arthritis that causes bone spurs at the joints and deteriorates bone and joint cartilage.

Arthritis mutilans is a form of psoriatic arthritis that, like DIP, impacts the fingers and toes, but is much more severe, usually resulting in the loss of function of the hands and feet. A rare form of psoriatic arthritis, arthritis mutilans also causes lower back pain and neck pain. It is severe and destructive, and very hard to treat.

Spondylitis is psoriatic arthritis that affects the spine, making it difficult to move. It can cause pain in the pelvic region, the lower back, and stiffness in the neck, and can eventually deteriorate the ligaments.

Psoriasis, and in turn psoriatic arthritis, is generally thought of as a genetic disorder, and while the symptoms can present at any age, first flares are most frequent in people between the ages of 30 and 50. Almost half of the people diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis have a family history of psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, and if someone has one parent with either disease it triples their risk of developing the diseases sometime in their lifetime.

Some ways to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are a diet comprised of mostly plant-based foods, plenty of exercises (though the exercise program may have to be tailored if a person has severe or aggravated psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis), and daily moist heat application. For medication, NSAIDs are usually prescribed, though in severe cases a biologic drug may be prescribed to lessen the symptoms of either disease.

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