Psoriatic arthritis is a specific form of arthritis that has been diagnosed in approximately 23 percent of folks that have psoriasis, according to the Psoriasis Foundation’s 2001 Benchmark Survey. Psoriatic arthritis is analogous but generally milder than rheumatoid arthritis. The joints as well as the soft tissue around them become inflamed and stiff with psoriatic arthritis. Parts of the body such as ankles, neck, knees, lower back, toes and fingers can be affected by psoriatic arthritis. There are more severe cases of psoriatic arthritis where joint damage can become disabling and irreversible.
Some those with psoriasis, up to thirty percent, will advance to psoriatic arthritis. Although milder cases may remain undetected. Most cases seem to be detected in people between the ages of thirty to fifty although it can develop at any age. Psoriasis cases range from severe to mild. Up to ten percent of psoriasis cases are considered moderate and another ten percent are considered severe cases. The palm of the hand equates to one percent of an average size person’s skin However, the severity of psoriasis is also measured as a result of how psoriasis affects a person’s quality of life. Psoriasis can have a serious influence even though it involves a comparatively small area, like the palms of the hands or soles of one’s feet.
Triggers can involve emotional anxiety, damage to the skin, various forms of contamination and reactions to specific drugs. Stress could cause psoriasis to flare up for the very first occasion or exasperate existing psoriasis. Psoriasis may also be triggered in spots of the skin which were damaged or traumatized. Certain medications, like antimalarial drugs, lithium and certain beta-blockers, are recognized to cause people’s psoriasis to flare. Other triggers may include weather, diet and allergies. Triggers will vary from individual to individual and what may cause one person’s psoriasis to flare may produce no reaction in another individual.