Psoriatic Arthritis Causes and Risk Factors – Healthline

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that causes an overgrowth of skin cells. In the years after psoriasis appears, a number of people may develop joint problems, too. This is called psoriatic arthritis, and its a type of arthritis that falls into the same family as spondyloarthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis can cause joint pain, inflammation, and swelling, much like other types of arthritis like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Having psoriatic arthritis might also put you at risk of developing other autoimmune conditions.

Theres a wide range of estimates when it comes to how many people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis, with about a third of all people with psoriasis reported joint problems.

For nearly 70 percent of these people, psoriasis develops before usually by about a decade psoriatic arthritis. For the others, no one is really sure what causes the condition, but there are several risk factors and triggers that could contribute.

Read on to learn more about risk factors and triggers for psoriatic arthritis.

There are a number of risk factors that can increase your chances of developing psoriatic arthritis.

The main precursor to psoriatic arthritis is a history of psoriasis, and these two conditions share many risk factors. Its also important to note that psoriatic arthritis is more common in people who have severe cases of psoriasis or develop psoriasis plaques in particular areas like:

Other risk factors that can increase your risk of developing psoriatic arthritis include:

Like many chronic conditions, psoriatic arthritis can have periods of remission and flare-ups. Knowing what can trigger a flare-up for you can be helpful in keeping the condition under control.

While studies debate the connection between psoriatic arthritis and stress, smoking, or alcohol use, these have all been linked to flare-ups of the condition. Skin injuries may lead to new psoriasis plaques, but injuries to joints or other body parts may result in arthritis pain later, too.

Finally, anything that increases inflammation in the body can cause flare-ups of a host of autoimmune-related conditions, including psoriatic arthritis. Examples include:

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Psoriatic Arthritis Causes and Risk Factors - Healthline