talkhealth forums

On behalf of a guest visitor:

What is the difference between psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis?

Hi,

In a nutshell, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis both cause inflammation in and around the joints, however psoriatic arthritis only affects people who suffer from the skin condition psoriasis.

Like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis damages the joints and can cause deformity and disability, as well as fatigue, however the symptoms are usually milder. Both forms of arthritis are auto-immune disorders which is where the body's immune system mistakes healthy tissues for foreign invaders and attacks them.

Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers are also at risk of developing other conditions such as heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, gut problems and osteoporosis.

Both forms of arthritis are commonly treated with NSAIDs and anti-rheumatoid drugs such as methotrexate and ciclosporin.

Wendy

Hello,

You don't have to have psoriasis to be diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis - it is enough for a close relative to have psoriasis for you to also have this as a diagnosis. There are many different types of psoriatic arthritis. Some people will only have the end finger joints affected, others may have one or more joints - usually the large joints, others may have back problems or ankylosing spondylitis and a few will have arthritis that is very similar to rheumatoid arthritis where the joints are affected symmetrically- especially the small joints of the hands and feet. The treatment of psoriatic arthritis obviously depends on which type of joint problems you have and whether or not you have psoriasis. If only one or 2 joints are affected you may be offered treatments such as joint injections. If you have many affected joints, the arthritis will be treated in a way that is similar to rheumatoid arthritis with disease-modifying drugs such as methotrexate and biologic medications is the arthritis is severe. If you have ankylosing spondylitis, the treatment will be with anti-inflammatory medicines and sometimes biologic medicines as disease modifying drugs are not effective for spinal disease. All of this can be confusing, so it is important to have the correct diagnosis.

Wendy

Dr Wendy Holden
Medical Advisor to Arthritis Action and Consultant Rheumatologist
www.arthritisaction.org.uk /
info@arthritisaction.org