Symptoms of psoriatic Arthritis

The symptoms of psoriatic arthritis involve a number of different systems of the body.  However the primary symptoms of psoriatic arthritis is skin lesions.  Other areas displaying symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include the finger and toe nails, joints, and soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments.

The skin-related symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are similar, if not identical to psoriasis.  These symptoms of psoriatic arthritis tend to occur as red, scaly, itchy patches over joints and along the scalp.  Often the skin looks pinkish with areas of inflammation.  These areas of skin inflammation eventually cause excess skin to grow making them whitish and flaky.

Symptoms of psoriatic Arthritis

Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis also affect the finger and toe nails.  These include differences in color, shape, texture, and thickness.  Pitting and ridges are common symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.  Pitting is simply small hollows on the nail surface.  It is also usually associated with crumbling of the nail and eventually loss of it.  Ridges are elevations on the nail and can occur across or along the nail.  Leukonychia and koilonychia are two other nail related symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.  Leukonychia is white streaks or spots on the nail and koilonychias is a concave nail.  Brittle nails can accompany all of the above symptoms of psoriatic arthritis related to nails.

The hallmark symptoms of psoriatic arthritis that distinguishes it from psoriasis are those involving joints.  These symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include the swelling of joints due to internal inflammation.  Regardless of the severity, this joint pain is bothersome.

The symptoms of psoriatic arthritis can become very severe so appropriate treatment of them should be applied.