<< Go back to blog

What Are The 5 Types of Psoriatic Arthritis?

what-is-plaque-psoriasis

If you’re a person who has rotten luck you should probably avoid casinos or buying lottery tickets. But when someone has rotten luck in regard to their health there’s really nothing that can be avoided at all. Arthritis isn’t the worst thing in the world, but the pain and immobility of it certainly isn’t something you’d choose to have. When you end up with psoriasis to go along with it as part of having psoriatic arthritis then you definitely qualify for having rotten luck. It can lead to the question of what is plaque psoriasis too, and Otezla is an effective psoriatic arthritis treatment.

It’s exactly what the name of the condition suggests; you’ve got arthritis and you’ve also got psoriasis caused by arthritis. As if having one or the other isn’t bad enough, but unfortunately that’s the way it goes sometimes and you need to find ways of managing the condition. And it’s not uncommon either – as many as 30% of people with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis. Swollen fingers and toes are often the first sign that the person is becoming arthritic, though the situation with the toes may lead people to mistake it for gout.

Visible and odd changes to your fingernails and toenails can be an early sign too. Medicated treatment creams work well for plaque psoriasis, but psoriatic arthritis is not so simply seen to. Some people get it worse than others too, and we’ll look at that distinction along with what are the 5 types of psoriatic arthritis here. Then we’ll share what we know about making choices that will reduce the severity of it.

Beware of Strep Throat

Strep throat is unpleasant too but it is not the biggest deal and a good antibacterial medication will put an end to it fairly quickly most of the time. But for some people if they get strep throat it’s best to be more on guard. That’s because many times the reason the immune system starts overreacting is because of an infection, and strep throat is one that is known to promote the start of plaque psoriasis. This is often true for people that have a genetic predisposition for getting psoriasis and it is something you can inherit from your parents.

So if you have a mother or father who has had psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis and you get strep throat it is important to start taking an antibacterial medication as soon as possible. It may also help to know that most people develop this condition between the ages of 30 and 50. The good news is that regular exercise is one of the factors that can keep this condition at bay, along with offering all sorts of bigger-picture health benefits and more of the body people would like to have for themselves most of the time.

The 5 Types

What is plaque psoriasis? It is the worst when it comes to skin being extremely irritated AND a source of distress because of the way the skin looks over affected areas. But it’s fair to say that having psoriatic arthritis is worse because it adds joint pain and stiffness to the mix and that means people have more difficulty moving and being comfortable doing daily activities.

We’ve discussed the basics around this condition enough, so let’s get right to identifying the 5 types of psoriatic arthritis that may occur because of existing plaque psoriasis. The first one is symmetrical, which means the arthritis pain and swelling of joints occurs equally with ones on either side of the body. The 2nd type is asymmetric, which is the opposite and means that it is occurring one on side of the body much more than the other.

Spondylitis is the next type, and that is when the pain and stiffness is in the spine and sometimes moving down into the pelvic region at the base of the spine. It is the worst of the 5 when it comes to having mobility issues because psoriatic arthritis. It shares a lot of characteristics with reactive arthritis in that it has the ability to move and progressively become stronger in different areas along the spine.

The 4th type of psoriatic arthritis is dactylitis, but it may be referred to as ‘sausage digits’ because of the way it goes after the fingers and toes exclusively and makes them swell to the point that they look breakfast sausages. Not so big that they resemble a bratwurst, but big enough to be a source of self-conscious and plenty discomfort too. The 5th type is Enthesitis, which is when the inflammation is occurring where ligaments or tendons attach or are inserted into bones.

Enthesitis usually occurs most pronouncedly in the feet, which adds to the mobility problem concerns for people who are now dealing with arthritis on top of their plaque psoriasis.

<< Go back to blog

IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.

Processing..

Please wait while the page is loading. Do not hit refresh or the browser back button to avoid any loss of information.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Customer Service team via the chat option on our website or calling us toll free at: 1-800-891-0844