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Psoriatic Arthritis - Got Your Attention Yet?

Most people don't realize that there are over 100 types of arthritis in existence.

Psoriatic arthritis is definitely one of the lesser known types of arthritis. But it is a serious form of arthritis nonetheless. Oh, if it only got the "glamor girl" attention that rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis does! Come on people, give psoriatic arthritis its due! Pay attention here!

As its name indicates, psoriatic arthritis is associated with psoriasis, the common skin condition characterized by inflammation of the skin, scaling, and red raised patches of skin. It is estimated that psoriasis affects approximately 2 per cent of the Caucasian population in the United States, although it can occur in people from all backgrounds.

When you have psoriasis, this skin condition attacks the skin of the knees, the elbows, the scalp and the face. It can even be seen in the navel! One of the most distressing areas that you may find psoriasis in in the genital and anal area. There is a small portion of those who suffer with psoriasis who also develop inflammation in the impacted joints. It is this small population of sufferers who are then identified as being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis.

Obviously, one of the major risk factors for developing psoriatic arthritis is the presence of the skin disorder, particularly if it affects the joints. Psoriatic arthritis usually strikes later in life, with most diagnosed cases occurring in the fourth or fifth decades of the patient's life. It appears that gender is not a risk factor, since men and women are affected equally.

The majority of patients experience onset of the diseases at different times. It is common that patients develop psoriasis before experiencing symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. Approximately 80 per cent of psoriatic arthritis patients develop psoriasis before the arthritis.

But of course everything in life cannot follow a definite pattern, since in some patients, they actually get a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis before actually developing a skin condition. This can make diagnosing the condition a bit more difficult. Unfortunately far too many patients suffer with either the arthritis or the psoriasis for way too long before figuring out that they two go together.

Psoriatic arthritis is a systematic disease just like other forms of arthritis. With any systemic disease, other areas of the body can be attacked as well. So this simply means that you best be on the look out for problems with other body parts. For example, psoriatic arthritis patients can also be at risk for other problems with the kidneys and lungs. Patients may also experience problems with the heart, the eyes and the mouth. Systemic ... affecting other areas as well. The whole body is at risk.

In the most serious cases of psoriatic arthritis, the impact on your vital organs can be life altering. With psoriatic arthritis, you are also at increased risk for spinal inflammation with can cause increased pain and limited movements.

What causes psoriatic arthritis? There are many theories, but the cause remains unknown. Most health professionals agree the disease is probably caused by a combination of various environmental factors. Immunity and genetic factors are probably involved as well. There is a gene marker-HLA-B27-that appears in many patients diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. However, it is not present in all cases.

With psoriatic arthritis, not only does the genetic marker HLA-B27 often show up with these patients, there are also other genetic alterations that may appear. Of course, this just continues to feed into the researchers belief that this variety of arthritis is based in the genes. Another one of the common denominators in the case of psoriatic arthritis is the changes that are seen in the immune system. While we don't know the exact basis of this, those changes are often seen. Also, remember that simple environmental factors may also be a key component behind the reason why people develop this health condition.

Psoriatic arthritis is a battle that many face each and every day. It really does not matter the reason why you developed this version of arthritis in the first place, what does matter is that you are ready to work cooperatively with your doctor in order to build a treatment plan that you can work with and one that is designed to give you the best level of health that you can enjoy. Psoriatic arthritis does not have to be a harness around your neck, but it certainly will become one if you are passive about it. Get to it and educate yourself about your own health condition.

Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

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