Psoriatic Arthritis

It is a chronic leather disease, and it is one of the autoimmune diseases that causes peeling rash in skin and can affect nails and scalp and may affect the joints in a small percentage of people.

The disease causes inflammation in the skin areas, so the inflamed area becomes reddish and covered with white or silver scales and usually appears on the joints, such as (elbows and knees) and it can appear in any area of the body, including (hands, feet, neck, scalp, and face) Psoriatic arthritis is called this name due to the inflammation of joints associated with it.

Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis

• Swelling and pain in the joints.
• Pains and swelling in the areas connected to the tendons and ligaments to the bones.
• Stiffness when sleeping in the morning or after sitting for a long time.
• The appearance of inflamed red spots on the skin, dry skin, and itching.
• White or gray scales in the scalp, knee, and back.
• Change in the thickness of the nails.

Symptoms differ from person to person.

Causes of psoriatic arthritis

It is not clearly known the cause of psoriatic, but environmental and genetic factors play a role in the disease.

Diagnosis

The doctor relies on reaching the diagnosis of the disease by prescribing the patient to the symptoms he complains about and a clinical examination, and the patient may need to perform some blood & radiation analyses to help the doctor reach a proper diagnosis and to distinguish the disease from similar types.

Treatment

1. Drug therapy:
   • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
   • Drugs that modify or slow the nature of the disease, such as methotrexate.
   • Biological drugs.
2. Attention to the skin (skin care):
   
   • Avoid dry skin and use moisturizing creams.
   • Do not use the types of soap that contain perfumes or chemicals.
3. Exercise and physical therapy.
4. Use hot or cold compresses.
5. Surgical treatment