Psoriasis, as we all know is an auto immune disorder, wherein people develop red, itchy whitish silver colored patches on different areas of the skin. But how many of you know that psoriasis increases your risk of developing a type of Arthritis known as psoriatic arthritis? Even though it sounds a bit scary, it is true that there is a connection between these two conditions. It is estimated that around 30% of people suffering from psoriasis tend to develop Psoriatic Arthritis. Here is what all we need to know about Psoriatic Arthritis, its causes, symptoms and how Homeopathy helps in controlling it.

Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis that develops in people with Psoriasis. It is a chronic disorder which affects your joints and leads to symptoms like swelling, pain and stiffness in joints. In few cases psoriatic arthritis also affects people without psoriasis. In severe cases or if left untreated psoriatic arthritis can permanently damage your joints.
Psoriatic arthritis is classified into 5 types and understanding them clearly is very crucial. Here are the 5 types, namely
1. Symmetric Psoriatic Arthritis- This is the most common type of psoriatic arthritis. It affects same joints on both sides of the body and resembles Rheumatoid Arthritis.
2. Asymmetric Psoriatic Arthritis- This type does not affect the same joints on both sides of the body at the same time and this is less common compared to the first type.
3. Distal Psoriatic Arthritis- This type mainly affects the small joints like fingers and toes and causes inflammation and stiffness.
4. Spondylitis- This type mainly affects the spine and neck leading to symptoms like swelling, stiffness and pain.
5. Arthritis Mutilans- This is the rarest and severe type of psoriatic arthritis. It affects the small joints close to the nail and can lead to loss of function and can even damage them completely.

Though there are different varieties of Arthritis, the symptoms are quite common. Notable among them are a strange stiffness in the body during the morning, experiencing difficulty while moving a joint, lack of sleep, being unable to move the hand or walk, some sort of exhaustion and tired feeling, pains in muscle and ache, unexpected loss in weight. Also, whenever you have reduced your physical activities it leads to loss of flexibility and weakness in muscles.

As mentioned earlier, there are nearly hundred types of Arthritis but here are the most common forms. First in the list is Osteoarthritis wherein the cartilage loses its elasticity and begins to damage the bones. The second type is Rheumatoid Arthritis wherein the synovial membrane is affected which leads to a lot of pain and swelling. In some cases, lack of treatment will lead to deformity. The other type is infectious Arthritis wherein an infection is caused by a bacteria and it affects the tissues in joints. There is also the juvenile rheumatoid Arthritis which is commonly seen in individuals aged less than 16 years.

The exact cause of Psoriatic Arthritis is unknown and it is believed to be due to auto immune disorders. Risk factors that can trigger Psoriatic Arthritis include
• Psoriasis
• Genetics or family history of psoriatic arthritis
• Age
• Infections (like strep throat)

Symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis

Homeopathy Treatment for Psoriatic Arthritis