Quite of few of people with psoriasis, also develop an associated inflammation of their joints which often is diagnosed as having psoriatic arthritis. And about 1 in 10 people with psoriasis will also develop inflammation of joints.



Psoriatic arthritis is part of a group of arthritis that is more then likly to cause inflammation of the spine. Why this happens is currently unknown, but more then likely a combination of genetic and immune factors as well as environmental factors, are involved.

Psoriatic arthritis often occurs within both males and females over the age of fifty and affects both sexes equally. Psoriasis and the joint disease arthritis often appear separately as the arthritis may precede the psoriasis in the majority of patients. Some patients may have had arthritis for over twenty years prior to developing psoriasis.

Patients may have psoriasis for over twenty years prior to the development of arthritis which eventually leads to the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. Patients with psoriatic arthritis may also develop inflammation of tendons, cartilage, eyes, lining of the lungs, and occasionally the aorta. Psoriatic arthritic may also mimic the pattern seen with rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatments available to help control psoriasis,and the good news is that their are lots of them Some can be found at the local store while others you will need to go to the docktor to get a prescription.Because they are so many treatment, it may take time to find the right one for you.

Topical corticosteroids are the most commonly prescribed treatments for psoriasis. They are synthetic drugs which resemble naturally occurring hormones in the body and are available in varying strengths and formulations including lotions, creams, solutions, sprays, gels, and ointments.

Corticosteroids act by slowing down the growth of skin cells and decreasing the inflammation of lesions in patients with psoriasis. While corticosteroids may quickly clear lesions, they do not produce long term remissions so the lesions associated with psoriasis may recur after a short term. Side effects are numerous and may include stretch marks or scars on the skin.

Topical therapies have remained the mainstay of treatment for many patients suffering with mild psoriasis. Topical treatments work relatively quickly at clearing lesions and are typically well tolerated by the majority of psoriasis sufferers.

Nevertheless, topical treatments must be used frequently to stay successful and are often not able to preserve remission of an outbreak. Dithranol is a topical therapy which has been used often to calm psoriasis. It can be successful for mild to moderate psoriasis and is often used with ultraviolet treatments for patients with more harsh psoriasis.

There are one or two problems with Dithranol the main one being that it will burn and irritate the skin and will stain any thing that it comes into contact with

While complementary and alternative treatments are becoming more common, it is important to note that to date they have not been tested and studied to the same extent as conventional medical treatments. But as more people have been active partners in their treatment of psoriasis, interest in alternative medicine has grown by leaps and bounds