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Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis
that affects around 20% of people suffering from the chronic skin condition
Psoriasis.
Psoriatic arthritis occurs more commonly in patients with tissue type HLA-B27.
Treatment of psoriatic arthritis is similar to that of
Rheumatoid arthritis.
More than 80% of patients with psoriatic arthritis will have psoriatic nail
lesions characterised by pitting of the nails. Psoriatic arthritis is said to be
a sero-negative spondyloarthropathy. Psoriatic arthritis
can develop at any age, however on average it tends to appear about 10 years
after the first signs of psoriasis. For the majority of people this is between
the ages of 30 and 50, but it can also affect children. Men and women are
equally affected by psoriatic arthritis. In about one in seven
psoriatic arthritis cases the arthritis
symptoms may occur before any skin involvement.
As well as causing
joint
inflammation, psoriatic arthritis can cause Tendonitis and a sausage-like
swelling of the digits known as dactilytis.
It is recommended that Transfer
Factor Advanced Formula to be used in autoimmune conditions.
Transfer Factor Plus is generally preferred for
conditions caused by infection. Transfer Factors
suppress over acting immune system
to ease autoimmune conditions.
Types of Psoriatic Arthritis
There are five main types of psoriatic arthritis; these are
symmetric, asymmetric, distal interphalangeal predominant (DIP), spondylitis and
arthritis mutilans.
Symmetric nature of Psoriatic
Arthritis
This type of psoriatic arthritis accounts for around 50% of cases, and affects joints
on both sides of the body simultaneously. Symmetric nature of psoriatic
arthritis is most similar to Rheumatoid arthritis and is disabling in around 50% of all cases.
Asymmetric nature of
Psoriatic Arthritis
Asymmetric nature of psoriatic arthritis affects around
35% of patients and is generally mild. This type does not occur in the same
joints on both sides of the body and usually only involves less than 3 joints.
Arthritis Mutilans
Arthritis mutilans affects less than 5% of
psoriatic arthritis patients and is a severe, deforming
and destructive arthritis. This condition can progress over months or years
causing severe joint damage.
Spondylitis
Spondylitis is characterised by stiffness of the spine or
neck, but can also affect the hands and feet, in a similar fashion to
symmetric arthritis.
Distal Interphalangeal
Predominant
This type of psoriatic arthritis is
found in about 5% of patients, and is characterised by
inflammation and stiffness in the joints nearest to the
ends of the fingers and toes. Nail changes are often
marked.
It is recommended that Transfer
Factor Advanced Formula to be used in autoimmune conditions.
Transfer Factor Plus is generally preferred for
conditions caused by infection. Transfer Factors
suppress over acting immune system
to ease autoimmune conditions.
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