Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic Arthritis has a diverse array of clinical presentations that include a severe multi-joint inflammatory arthritis, spinal inflammation and a group of conditions associated with either severe bone swelling or bone destruction or both. Animal models with features of Psoriatic Arthritis clearly show that the disease process commences at the enthesis but this is harder to prove in man. Nevertheless, there is compelling evidence from imaging in Psoriatic Arthritis that enthesitis may also be the key lesion.

Psoriatic Arthritis Overview

In experimental models of inflammatory arthritis with features of Psoriatic Arthritis it has been demonstrated that the disease process clearly starts at the enthesis. These models support the original imaging observation in humans that suggested that Psoriatic Arthritis ....

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Where does Psoriatic Arthritis start?

When a patient is told that they have Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA), one of the first questions they will ask is "how did it start?" or "why did it start?" ...

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SAPHO syndrome and Enthesitis

The SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis) syndrome is a type of arthritis that typically involves the sternoclavicular joint and is an uncommon manifestation of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) and ....

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Injury and Psoriatic Arthritis

The link between injury or joint trauma and joint biomechanical stressing in Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is recognised. The observations that PsA may start at the enthesis has lead many investigators to conclude that ....

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Different forms of psoriasis and PsA

Patients with a minor degree of psoriasis are not generally sent to see a Dermatologist and are managed by the family doctor. In some cases they may not even see a doctor and attribute a scalp problem to dandruff rather than psoriasis ....

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The Proximal Interphalangeal Joint in PsA

The PIP joint is commonly involved in Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). This page explains PIP disease. Disease at this site is very important since the Rheumatologist must distinguish it from osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthirits ...

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Psoriatic Arthritis or Osteoarthritis?

Many patients with psoriasis report joint pain. If a doctor treating the psoriasis records joint pain then psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a possibility. This could lead to the use of powerful drugs which may not work if the pain ....

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Distal Interphalangeal Joint Disease in PsA

The distal interphalangeal joints (DIPs) are those joints adjacent to the nails. These are a characteristic site of involvement in Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) ....

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Dactylitis and Enthesitis

Dactylitis is diffuse inflammation or sausage like swelling of either a finger or toe. It may simultaneously involve more than one digit. It is derived from the Greek word dactylos which means finger. Sometimes dactylitis is painless which is termed "cold dactylitis" ....

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The big knee in PsA

There are several distinct patterns of arthritis that patients with psoriasis get. One of these is an isolated arthritis with a large degree of swelling of the knee joint without disease elsewhere. This page explains what is known ...

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Foot and Ankle in PsA

Ankle and foot involvement may be part of a generalised form of PsA or may occasionally be the only manifestation of PsA. It is an important problem that deserves careful attention. This page explains the link between enthesitis and ...

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Shared Anatomy of PsA and Osteoarthritis

This page explains the shared anatomical features of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and some types of osteoarthritis (OA). Basically both may share a common anatomical site of disease origin at the enthesis. This can make it difficult to tell the two apart ...

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Distinguishing DIP OA from PsA

Studies in early PsA of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint have shown that enthesitis and adjacent osteitis were common. However, MRI scanning of the DIP joint in early OA showed changes that were similar to PsA ...

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Distinguishing PIP joint OA from PsA

The proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint is commonly involved in Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). It is also commonly involved in other common types of arthritis including osteoarthritis (OA) and in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ....

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Enthesitis Causing Knee Joint Swelling in PsA

Knee Disease in PsA can occur as part of a generalised form of PsA or may be confined to the knee. The knee is a large joint with over 30 entheses within or immediately adjacent to the joint ....

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