Insights into Psoriatic Arthritis: Identifying the Five Distinct Types of This Condition
Heya mate! Got some lowdown on that ol' PsA you've been battlin' with, eh? PsA is this thing that's related to that pesky psoriasis, but it ain't the same. Psoriasis, for those uninitiated, causes all sorts of scalier skin issues, while ole PsA tends to show up as joint pain. You can have 'em both or just one, it's all a bit mum's the word.
To better deal with it, it's important to know what kind of PsA you're dealing with. Here's what we got:
- Asymmetric PsA - This is the most common type, accounting for about 60 percent of cases. It affects joints individually, not in pairs, so you might have pain in your right hand with no affecting the left. But you ain't necessarily stuck in one place - left knee and right foot could do a jive while you're having asymmetry. This type is apparently more common in men, according to the latest studies.
Symptoms (for all types) - You might feel tired all the time, have blurred vision, swollen fingers or toes, nail pitting or cracking, pain and swelling in your joints, swollen or painful ligaments or tendons.
Treatment - PsA don't have a cure, but doc can help yeh figure out the best treatment. Potential options include physical therapy, oral corticosteroids, biologic drugs, NSAIDs like aspirin or ibuprofen, intra-articular joint injections, and more.
- Symmetric PsA - With this type, symptoms pop up on both sides of your body at the same time. It's pretty common in women, representing 15 to 61 percent of cases. This type tends to affect the smaller joints of your feet or hands, rather than the larger ones like your knees or elbows.
Treatment - The ideal treatment plan depends on your age, weight, mobility, pain level, overall health, and yeah, even if you smoke cigarettes, which can make PsA symptoms worse.
- Distal Interphalangeal (DIP) PsA - This type affects the joints near the tips of your toes and fingers, so you might notice some changes to your nails. It can affect a bunch of joints or just one, but it's pretty rare, affecting only about 10 percent of PsA peeps.
Symptoms - You could have swollen fingers or toes, ligament or tendon pain, reduced range of motion, stiff joints, swollen fingers with nail problems like pitting, discoloration, nail cracking, or detachment.
Treatment - Doc might recommend NSAIDs or corticosteroid injections for mild inflammation and discomfort. For more severe cases, you might get tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors to slow disease progression.
- Spondylitis PsA - Around 7 to 32 percent of PsA folks get this type, which targets the joints between vertebrae in your spine. It can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in your neck and back, but it can also affect other parts like your feet, hips, arms, legs, and hands.
Treatment - Treatment can include NSAIDs, physical therapy, occupational therapy, immunosuppressants, sulfasalazine, biologic medications, or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.
- PsA Mutilans - A pretty rare and severe form of PsA, affecting only about 5 percent of PsA folks. It typically causes severe pain in your hands, feet, or wrists.
Symptoms - Can cause extreme inflammation, joint deformities, bone loss, loss of movement, reduced range of motion, and pain that radiates to other areas of the body.
Treatment - Aggressive treatment is important since it can get worse over time. Treatment options include anti-TNF inhibitor, DMARDs, or biologic medications. One study suggests that etanercept (Enbrel) may help restore joint function, but more research is needed.
Remember, this is just a summary - always consult your doc to get the lowdown on your specific situation. And don't forget, knowledge is power, so arm yourself with the info you need to manage PsA like a pro!
- Although PsA is related to psoriasis, it also shares connections with neurological disorders, such as, in some cases, spondylitis PsA which affects the joints between vertebrae in your spine and can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling.
- Symmetric PsA, responsible for 15 to 61 percent of cases, manifests simultaneously on both sides of the body, typically affecting smaller joints like those in the feet and hands, making it more common in women.
- In addition to causing skin conditions like psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can lead to chronic diseases such as chronic fatigue, blurred vision, and swollen fingers or toes.
- Although there's no cure for psoriatic arthritis, medical treatments like physical therapy, oral corticosteroids, biologic drugs, NSAIDs, and joint injections can help manage its symptoms effectively.
- The less common Distal Interphalangeal (DIP) PsA targets the joints near the tips of your toes and fingers, causing nail changes and pain in the affected joints, and might affect a single joint or multiple joints in some cases.
