Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis that generally develops in people who have psoriasis disease. Psoriasis is a skin condition in which the skin will become dry and have red patches in the affected area, and these patches have silver-colored scales on them. There are a lot of people in the country suffering from psoriasis, and about thirty percent of these people develop psoriatic arthritis. The intensity of psoriatic arthritis varies in different people. It can be severe or mild, and it can also affect one or more joints.

Symptoms
The symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are different for different people. Some people have very mild symptoms of the disease, and some have severe symptoms, but there are some symptoms that are common for this disease, irrespective of its severity:

• Some people having psoriatic arthritis may experience swelling and tender joints on either one side or both sides of the body.
• Many people experience stiffness in the joints in the morning when they suffer from psoriatic arthritis.
• Another common symptom of this disease is swollen fingers and swollen toes.
• In psoriatic arthritis, many people experience pain in the muscles and tendons.
• When the pain in the joints increases, the scaly skin patches may worsen in some people with psoriatic arthritis.
• While suffering from this disease, one will get a flaky scalp.
• A lot of people experience fatigue when they suffer from this disease.
• In some people, the nail will be separated from the nail bed.
• Conjunctivitis is another common symptom when one suffers from psoriatic arthritis.
• One may also experience pain in the eyes while suffering from this condition.

Causes
Psoriatic arthritis usually develops within ten years of the diagnosis of psoriasis. The main cause of psoriatic arthritis is generally the malfunctioning of the immune system and it attacking the healthy tissues. However, there is no clear reason behind why some people develop psoriatic arthritis and other people with psoriasis don’t.

Treatment
The treatment of psoriatic arthritis is generally provided to patients so that they can get relief from the symptoms. The treatment will also help in the reduction of the progress of the condition and assist in improving the patient’s life. Many people start taking different medications for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. Some of these medications also help in the treatment of psoriasis, but it is advisable to consume one medicine for both psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. There are several medications that are used to treat psoriatic arthritis:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are given to some people to help them reduce pain and inflammation.
• Corticosteroids also help in reducing swelling and pain.
• Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs are another type of drugs given to treat inflammation in joints.
• Biological treatments are also provided to several people having psoriatic arthritis.

One should consult a doctor for timely treatment in case they experience any of these symptoms.