Cause of psoriatic arthritis
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Loading ...The actual cause of psoriatic arthritis is unknown however it is related with the skin disease known as psoriasis. Psoriasis often runs in families, as does arthritis. The cause of psoriasis could therefore be hereditary.
However only 10% of the people that have psoriasis go on to develop this type of arthritis, and in some cases the arthritis occurs first. The actual trigger for this form of arthritis remains unknown, although there has been a lot of research on the subject. Some people have suggested that it could actually be due to bacteria that live in the scaly patches of skin, but then why do some people suffer arthritis whereas others do not.
It can affect anyone who suffers from psoriasis, however it is much more likely to affect a person whose nails are affected by psoriasis. Psoriatic nails are when the nails become pitted, broken, or otherwise damaged. The gene HLA-B27 is associated with patients who have swelling of the spin.
Many researchers are currently trying to determine what exactly causes psoriatic arthritis and they believe that changes in the immune system may trigger the disease. Infections and bacteria are also being considered as possible culprits.
There does not appear to be a link between the severities of the psoriasis and whether or not the patient goes on to develop this disease. If the arthritis occurs before the rash then it can take many years until the correct diagnosis is reached.
This illness mirrors many of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, making diagnosis difficult.
Although the exact cause of it remains unknown scientists do know that it can be inherited from family members. If a child’s parents have psoriasis then they are much more likely to develop psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriasis gets worse with stress, and infection, whether or not psoriatic arthritis behaves the same is unknown. There is currently no cure for it.
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