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Psoriatic Arthritis
What is psoriatic arthritis?
Psoriatic arthritis is a disease, chronic in nature that is comprised of two conditions: Psoriasis, which is an inflammation of the skin; Arthritis which is an inflammation of the joints. Psoriatic arthritis usually strikes both men and women equally in their 40’s and 50’s, however, the psoriasis and the arthritis rarely occur at the same time; often one can precede the other by 10 to 15 years. Psoriatic arthritis is a systemic rheumatic disease, which in many cases, can cause the swelling of tissues apart from the joints (kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs).
What causes psoriatic arthritis?
Unfortunately, the specific cause of psoriatic arthritis is not currently known. It is felt that it is mostly an interplay of genetics, immune system and environmental factors. It is thought that changes in the immune system may somehow affect the development of psoriatic arthritis. Also, the presence of certain gene markers is common in patients with psoriatic arthritis; such has HLA-B27 in patience with arthritis of the spine.