First symptoms
In 75% of people affected by psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis appears first. The first symptoms are then dry, itchy and scaly patches, which usually appear first on the elbows, knees, head, armpits, gluteal fold or breast region. The inflammatory reaction in psoriasis is triggered by the fact that cells of the immune system penetrate the skin and trigger inflammatory reactions there.
This then leads to increased and faster growth of skin cells, which consequently die off.Because of this pattern of development, psoriasis is also called an autoimmune disease. Arthritis is also an autoimmune disease in which cells in the joints are attacked by the immune system. All joints and tendons can potentially be affected, but arthritis occurs particularly frequently in the finger and toe joints. The first signs of arthritis are pain, swelling and redness of the joints, although no clear cause can be identified. Especially if there are also known cases of psoriasis or arthritis in the family, you should consult a doctor if the first symptoms of psoriasis or arthritis are noticed.
Types
Psoriatic arthritis can occur in different forms. Depending on the location of the affected joints, it is divided into 5 different types. 1 Symmetric polyarthritis This is the most common type of psoriatic arthritis, which affects about half of all patients.
It can affect all distal (distal) joints on both sides of the body. This form is often difficult to distinguish from rheumatoid arthritis. The difference is that psoriatic arthritis also affects the small joints of the hands and feet.
2 Asymmetric oligoarticular arthritis In this type of psoriatic arthritis, only a few joints are affected by the disease. As a rule, hands, hips, knees and ankles are among the possible sites. Usually this type begins with swelling in the fingers.
3. distal interphalangeal dominant arthritis This type occurs primarily in men. It is noticeable that mainly only the finger joints are affected by psoriatic arthritis. Nail changes can occur as a demarcation to the arthritis.
4. spondylitis This type also affects men more often than women. Psoriatic arthritis affects the spine in particular, where it can lead to ossification and stiffening. 5. arthritis mutilans This is the least common type of psoriatic arthritis, but also the one with the worst course. It leads to severe deformities up to the complete destruction of joints, especially in the hands and feet.
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