Can Psoriasis Give You Arthritis?
Your immune system can cause both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Not everyone with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis. But about six to 42 percent of people with psoriasis will develop an inflammatory arthritis known as psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
PsA causes:
- swelling,
- redness,
- pain, and
- joint stiffness.
If left untreated, psoriatic arthritis can cause structural problems in your joints. Because PsA can be difficult to distinguish from more common causes of arthritis, we recommend that you make an appointment with a joint specialist, such as a rheumatologist.
Psoriasis causes itchy, flaky patches of red or white skin. If you have psoriatic arthritis, it may be in different places from where you have flaky skin. For example, you may have psoriatic arthritis in your elbow, even though the skin around your elbow is normal and healthy.
Treating Psoriatic Arthritis
Patients with both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis may benefit from combined treatment we offer at our Psoriasis and Psoriatic Clinic. The goal of our clinic is to treat this complex set of diseases in the best way possible.
Your primary care doctor may refer you to our clinic if you’ve been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis or if your doctor thinks you may have this disease.