Facts: Psoriatic arthritis occurs with psoriasis, which is characterized by itchy patches of skin with a red base and an overlying silvery scale. Psoriasis develops on the elbows, knees and scalp, hands, feet or lower back but may be found anywhere on the body. Symptoms like pitting of fingernails and toenails (small holes in the nails), discoloration, ridging and cracking, are common to patients with psoriasis who are at risk for psoriasis arthritis. Joint disease usually appears 10 years after the first signs of psoriasis. Men and women are equally likely to develop psoriatic arthritis; white people are more likely to have the disease than African or Asian Americans. PsA can develop at any age but is most common between 30 and 55 years of age. Heel pain is common and conjunctivitis (“red eye”) occurs in about one-third of people with psoriatic arthritis.
