Psoriatic ArthritisPsoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, autoimmune (caused by your own immune system) disease of the skin, characterized by an overproduction of skin cells resulting in lesions that are red, dry, raised and scaly. These patches can appear anywhere on the body, but occur particularly on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back. PsA is a rheumatic condition (disease of joints), also autoimmune in origin, that occurs in more than 10% of PsA sufferers eventually. Most often (85% of the time) the skin lesions appear before the joint problems, often by as much as 20 years.
The disease affects both men and women. Although PsA can affect all races, it is most common in Caucasians. The most common age of onset is between the ages of 30 and 50, but it can appear at any age. There is a juvenile form of PsA. Inheritance seems to play a role in PsA. Up to 40% of people with this disease have a first degree relative with the same disease. If you have an identical twin with PsA, your chance of developing the same disease is 75%. Both psoriasis and PsA are chronic diseases that worsen over time although a clinical course with flares and remissions is common. The severity of the skin lesions does not necessarily correlate with the severity of the disease.
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