Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis linked with psoriasis, a chronic skin and nail disease.
Psoriasis causes red, scaly rashes and thick, pitted fingernails.
Psoriatic arthritis is similar to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in symptoms and joint swelling (inflammation).
But it tends to affect fewer joints than RA.
Joint pain, stiffness and swelling are the main signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.
They can affect any part of the body, including your fingertips and spine, and can range from relatively mild to severe.
In both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, disease flares can alternate with periods of remission.
The cause of psoriatic arthritis is unknown.
Researchers suspect that it develops from a combination of genetic (heredity) and environmental factors.
They also think that immune system problems, infection, obesity, and physical trauma play a role in determining who will develop the disease.
So, basically rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are very similar and treatments are generally the same.
The biggest difference is the joints involved in the hands and feet and the fact that psoriatic arthritis also involves psoriasis of the skin which is a persistent chronic disease in itself.
Arthritis is caused by inflammation of the joints.
Osteoarthritis usually comes with age and most often affects the fingers, knees, and hips.
Sometimes osteoarthritis follows a joint injury.
For example, you might have badly injured your knee when young and develop arthritis in your knee joint years later.