Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis most common in people over the age of 30. The illness typically starts with psoriasis, but sometimes it develops without any skin-related symptoms. Watch out for the following 10 early warning signs, and consult a doctor if you have any of these.
1. Malaise
At the start of a psoriatic arthritis flare-up, you may feel uncomfortable and inexplicably uneasy. It's like when you catch a cold or fever after you get achy and experience chills.
2. Fatigue
Constantly feeling sleepy is a sign that your body needs rest to heal or rejuvenate. People with psoriatic arthritis can still feel unrested after 12 hours of sleep. Simply climbing stairs can become as hard as scaling Mt. Everest.
3. Asymmetrical Joint Pain And Swelling
When psoriatic arthritis affects you, your joints are likely to become stiff, painful, and start to throb. The flare-ups are usually asymmetrical: meaning that you can feel your left knee is aching while the right one is fine.
4. Sacroiliac Joint And Back Pain
Psoriatic arthritis flare-ups usually occur in the joints and the entheses, or where the ligaments and tendons attach to the bones. Therefore, the patients may find these parts stiff, swollen, or painful.
5. Knee Pain
Many psoriatic arthritis patients suffer from knee pain because of chronic inflammation. Besides, they can also feel swelling or heat in their knee joints.
6. Hand And Finger Pain
Apart from your joints, psoriatic arthritis can also affect your hands and forearms. They may experience "sausage digits," where their fingers swell between and around the joints and develop the sensation of "pins and needles."
7. Feet And Toe Pain
"Sausage digits" can also appear in your toes. Moreover, you may face foot, heel, and ankle pain. What's worse, red, scaly skin can even occur on the soles of your feet and in between your toes, thus making even walking unpleasant.
8. Eye Problem
Lots of autoimmune arthritis patients also suffer from vision problems. Their eyes can become red and burn, and their vision also blurs.
9. Nail Changes
If you have psoriatic arthritis, you are likely to find some nail changes on both your fingers and toes. Your nails may seem bumpy or dented, thus making the disease easy to be misdiagnosed as a fungal infection.
10. Psoriasis
Psoriatic arthritis is usually accompanied by psoriasis. When you have pink plaques of raised skin, be on guard for psoriatic arthritis, too.
Source: buzzaura.com