How Are Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Connected?
Often number of times it so happens that patients and their relatives tend to mix together the names of two diseases that may have a few similarities, but are rather different from each other in many ways. Such a common mistake is often made by people when they use the terms Psoriasis and Psoriatic arthritis in exchange of each other, where in reality they are two different conditions.
The connection between the diseases is that they are both Psoriatic diseases and are chronic in nature, meaning there are no ways that the symptoms related to them can be terminated entirely. But is that the only connection between the two conditions? Or is there more? Before delving into the connection between these conditions, let’s first take a look at what these conditions actually are.
What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that results in a rapid building up of skin cells, that then develop into scaly patches on the skin. One thing to note about this is that Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks the body itself. Thus, some really common symptoms of Psoriasis are inflammation and redness of the skin around the scales, which sometimes even causes the skin to crack and bleed.
What is Psoriatic Arthritis?
Psoriatic Arthritis is the condition of Arthritis combined with the skin inflammation autoimmune disorder of Psoriasis. In simpler words, in Psoriatic Arthritis, the patient suffers from swollen, sore, and painful joints, with a buildup of inflamed patches of scale on the skin.
What is Connection Between Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis?
The inference that can be drawn from knowing both the diseases is that Psoriatic Arthritis never happens without the onset of Psoriasis. In about 30 to 33% of cases of patients suffering from Psoriasis, the condition eventually also develops into Psoriatic Arthritis. In other words, it can be said Psoriatic Arthritis is a condition that develops alongside Psoriasis.
As to why Psoriasis develops into Psoriatic Arthritis, it can be understood that both the conditions are caused due to underlying immune system problems. While the immune system overloads the body with rapid production of skin cell, the same problem can cause the inflammation of the joints, causing arthritis. However, since both the conditions have their own set of distinct symptoms, researchers have often called Psoriatic Arthritis a disease inside of a disease.
As mentioned above, because of their chronic nature, the symptoms related to both the diseases cannot be eliminated altogether. However, a certain set of lifestyle changes can go a long way in reducing the chances of the conditions flaring out of control and worsen with time, ensuring that the patient can live a happy and healthy lifestyle. For any help in the case of any of these diseases, Medipulse, the top private hospital in Jodhpur, is always at your service. Visit the experts on Arthritis and other autoimmune diseases at Medipulse, where you get world-class services and assured treatment of your conditions.