A person with psoriatic arthritis symptoms may need to visit a local physician to ascertain a correct diagnosis and learn the best possible course of treatment. Psoriatic arthritis is one form of the inflammatory condition of arthritis and is related to psoriasis, a persistent skin condition that affects a large number of people. The relationship between psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis has been scientifically proven, with ten to thirty percent of psoriasis sufferers having the accompanying arthritic condition. For psoriatic arthritis, most patients will begin exhibiting symptoms around ten years after the beginning of psoriasis. The cause of this condition and its symptoms is not understood completely, but many experts agree that the most likely culprit is hereditary genetics. There are five distinct types of psoriatic arthritis: arthritis mutilans, asymmetric, symmetric, spondylitis, and distal interphalangeal predominant. These types of psoriatic arthritis vary in severity and are characterized by different symptom sets that will need the expertise of a physician to diagnose.

For psoriatic arthritis, the symptoms will differ depending on the exact type of the condition that is present. Most types have typical arthritis symptoms, such as joint pain that is worst when the patient first wakes up in the morning.The symmetric variation is quite like rheumatoid arthritis and comprises about half of all psoriatic arthritis cases. About half of symmetric cases will leave the patient disabled. The asymmetric variation typically affects only one side of the patient and is not as serious as the symmetric version. The arthritis will usually only affect one or two joints. Arthritis mutilans is rare, but can be extremely severe. Most patients will develop deformities and the condition often leaves the person disabled. Spondylitis commonly affects the spine and neck areas, causing stiffness and pain. Distal interphalangeal predominant arthritis is also rare, occurring to only one in every twenty psoriatic arthritis patients. These patients experience stiffness and inflammation problems in the hands and fingers.

Treatment for arthritis psoriatic should begin with the patient first visiting a local doctor to determine which type of the condition is present. Since all forms involve inflammation, medications that fall into the anti-inflammatory grouping will often provide some relief. If the condition is limited to only a few joints, as in asymmetric arthritis, corticosteroid injections may be used to provide relief. In cases where the condition has become severe, orthopedic surgery may be necessary to correct the deformities and ease the pain that is experienced. In recent times, new medication options have been created to aid in helping patients with severe arthritis. There are new medicines that use recombinant DNA. Infliximab, etanercept, and Golimumab are a few examples of the types of medicines that use this technology. Many experts are now advocating for earlier use of these drugs as they could help to prevent the progression of the condition. Treatment for arthritis psoriatic should treat psoriatic arthritis and the underlying condition of psoriasis. Those treatment options that only address the psoriatic arthritis symptoms may provide relief, but do little to correct the source of the problems.