Psoriatic arthritis earns its name due to the fact that it is a type of arthritis which occurs in people with the epidermal condition called psoriasis. Psoriasis patients have reddish patches of skin with silvery scales. In most cases, psoriasis is a precursor to psoriatic arthritis but the pain in the joints has a chance of occurring earlier too. Ranging from mild to intense, the symptoms can affect any part of the body like the fingertips and spine. Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis have flares with short durations of remission. As there is no cure for psoriatic arthritis, your focus should be on managing symptoms and avoiding damage to the joints. If not treated effectively, the disease can be disabling.

Symptoms
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are considered as chronic diseases meaning they have symptoms that degrade over the course of time with short periods of improvement.

Mainly affecting joints, symptoms of psoriatic arthritis have a similarity to rheumatoid arthritis. In both cases, the joints turn swollen and painful. Other symptoms include the following.

• Swollen fingers
  Psoriatic arthritis causes fingers and toes to swell until they start to resemble sausages. Additionally, you may also experience deformities in your limbs before joint pain occurs.

• Foot pain
  Psoriatic arthritis leads to severe pain in the foot, especially where tendons and ligaments meet your bones along with at the back of your heels.

• Lower back pain
  Some cases show the development of spondylitis, a condition marked by severe inflammation of spinal vertebrae and joints and accompanying back pain.

The best time to consult a doctor would be immediately after you experience psoriasis so that treatment can be started right away. This can save your joints from being intensely damaged.

Causes
Psoriatic arthritis is caused when your immune system begins attacking healthy cells leading to over-production of skin cells as a response. As no explanation exists for this abnormal behavior of the immune system, it seems like a high possibility that genetic and environmental factors are involved. Supporting this theory, research shows the involvement of genetic markers in psoriatic arthritis. If you have hereditary psoriatic arthritis, a physical trauma may also act as a trigger.

Complications
A small portion of people may experience psoriatic arthritis progressing into arthritis mutilans. This is a stage where the disease takes an intense and disabling form. Ultimately leading to permanent deformity, arthritis mutilans target small bones of the body. Finger bones are completely deformed.

Along with the chances of cardiac diseases, psoriatic arthritis may also lead to illnesses like conjunctivitis and uveitis which cause blurred vision and red eyes to develop.

Arthritis is often considered as a minor illness due to lack of knowledge amongst the general masses. Looking into the disease from a medical perspective can serve as a major eye-opener. Arthritis is often believed to occur during old age, but the facts prove to be completely contrary to popular notions. Psoriatic arthritis, for one, can happen to anyone.