Up to 30 percent of individuals across the world with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune sickness that can lead to pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. Psoriatic arthritis is mostly divided into five subtypes, depending on which joints are affected and how many.
For instance, the five types don't consider warning signs such as Dactylitis (when the fingers and toes swell into sausages) and Enthesitis (inflammation of areas near the tendons and ligaments).
You can also have one type of psoriatic arthritis primarily to develop a different type later. Still, says Namrata Singh, MD, clinical subordinate professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver School of Medicine, the types provide a good "bird's eye view" of the disorder and can also help on therapy. Here, the five forms of psoriatic arthritis patients we should know about.
Asymmetric Oligoarticular
Asymmetric Oligoarticular psoriatic arthritis (occasionally mentioned to as simply asymmetric psoriatic arthritis) distresses about a third of people with the state. It's "asymmetric" because one side of the bodies joint can be affected while the parallel joint on the other side stay healthy. While this type can affect any part of the body, it usually influences no more than four or five joints.
Symmetric Polyarthritis
Also, another type is known as symmetric psoriatic arthritis, this is the most common form of the ailment and recorded complaints for about half of all cases. This type is "symmetric" because it affects the same joint on both sides of the body, much like rheumatoid arthritis. It typically impacts five or more joints which, again, can be wherever on the body.
Distal Interphalangeal Predominant
Approximately 20 percent of psoriatic arthritis cases are in the body's distal interphalangeal joints, meaning those at the ends of the toes and fingers. Because these joints are closest to the nails, symptoms can include nail variations such as spotting, pitting, or separating from the nail bed.
Spondylitis
In an ailment called spondylitis, swelling and irritation reaches the spine, causing hardiness as well as pain and difficulty in moving the neck, the lower back, and sacroiliac joints, which are the joints between the sacrum (the bone that supports the spine and is connected to your tailbone) and the pelvis. This type can also affect joints in the arms, legs, hands, and feet.
Arthritis Mutilans
The most oppressive form of psoriatic arthritis, arthritis mutilans recorded for about almost 5 percent of cases and can extremely damage the joints in the hands and feet. As time goes by, it can bring to "telescoping" of the digits, when the fingers and toes become littler, and can also impart bone loss. "Expectantly, we are seeing less and less [arthritis mutilans syndrome] because therapies are working well," says Dr. Singh.
Psoriatic arthritis can develop slowly, or it can suddenly hasten. Researchers have yet to isolate a cause of psoriatic arthritis, and a 2013 study found that many cases go unidentified. If the condition is left untouched, it can severely damage the joints and cause enervating pain. Be sure to discuss your conditions, concerns, and symptoms with a specialist. "There are understated hints in how you would approach treating each type," Dr. Singh says. Doctors can help you classify which type of psoriatic arthritis you have, as well as the best procedure of treatment for your state.
