The main symptoms of PsA are joint pain, stiffness, and swelling.
These, and other symptoms like chronic fatigue, are often ones that cannot be seen by others.
This is why people consider PsA an invisible disease.
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Symptoms of PsA can affect any part of the body and will range from mild to severe.
There is no cure for PsA, so the focus is on controlling disease symptoms and preventing joint damage.
Untreated PsA can cause deformed joints, reduced mobility, and evendisability.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
Uncontrolled inflammation also increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
How Psoriatic Arthritis Affects the Body
PsA causes a combination of skin and arthritis symptoms.
These symptoms are caused byinflammationfrom an overreactive immune system.
Peter Dazeley / Getty Images
Inflammation may cause fevers, joint and muscle pain, extreme fatigue, skin symptoms, and organ dysfunction.
PsA inflammation often affects larger joints and thedistal jointsof the fingers and toes.
The distal joints are the first knuckles at the top of the fingers and toes.
DermNet /CC BY-NC-ND
PsA Affects People Differently
No people with PsA are affected the same.
Others with PsA might have only spine involvement.
Still others will be affected by joint and spine inflammation.
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In up to 80% of people with PsA, skin disease usually precedes joint disease.
Other effects of PsA include:
Not everyone with PsA will experience all the possible effects of the condition.
Each person will experience a different combination of symptoms and severity.
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PsA is considered an invisible disease because many of its symptoms and effects cannot be seen.
Chronic fatigue is one of the most invisible symptoms of this condition.
High levels of inflammation are often to blame for extreme levels of fatigue.
Irina Gulyayeva / Getty Images
Fatigue can also be associated with medications used to treat the condition.
Research shows that fatigue is a major problem with PsA, leading to negative effects on quality of life.
Different types of arthritis, including PsA, affect the bodysymmetrically or asymmetrically.
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The worse PsA inflammation is, the higher the risk for irreversible damage from PsA.
Sometimes, bone or joint damage might require reconstructive surgery of knees, ankles, or hips.
Arthritis mutilans is also known for destroying the small joints of the hands.
If not treated, it can lead to permanent disability.
PsA can also cause spinal damage that restricts movement and can cause significant pain.
Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing back pain, swelling, or stiffness.
What Psoriatic Arthritis Looks Like
PsA is characterized by the symptoms it causes.
These joints can get so swollen they cause the digits to appear sausage-like, a hallmark symptom called dactylitis.
This is because people with PsA often develop enthesitis.
This can cause pain, swelling, and tenderness in the heels, midfoot, and toes.
You might also experience vision changes, including blurred vision.
Psoriatic Arthritis Rash/Skin Changes
Irina Gulyayeva / Getty Images
PsA rashes arepsoriasis plaques.
Rashes appear as red patches with silvery-white scales on the skin.
Skin rashes might burn, itch, hurt, or bleed.
These rashes might come and go.
It is very possible to have long periods where a persons skin is clear.
Nail Changes
A large number of people with PsA will have nail symptoms.
Psoriasis can also affect the nails, causing them to look like they may be infected.
Less-Visible Symptoms
PsA is known for causing symptoms that are not so easy to see.
These might include lower back pain, fatigue, joint pain, reduced range of motion, and anemia.
Lower Back Pain
Because PsA can affect the spine, it can lead toback pain.
Features of axial back pain include:
Fatigue
Fatigue is a common symptom of PsA.
It often makes it harder to do even the simplest activities of daily living.
Pain might disappear at times or return and worsen at other times.
When your symptoms improve, you might be experiencing a period of remission.
When symptoms become worse, you might experience a period of flare-up.
Reduced Range of Motion
PsA can affect therange of motionin your joints.
Anemia
PsA can lead to low red blood cell counts and a condition called anemia.
Anemia is a condition where your blood has fewer red blood cells than normal.
This is because inflammation prevents the body from storing iron to make enough healthy red blood cells.
The little things you are doing every day will add up and affect how you feel overall.
These might include:
A Word From Verywell
Psoriatic arthritis is a lifelong condition with no cure.
The outlook for most people with the condition can be positive.
However, that requires early diagnosis and aggressive treatment, and monitoring of both joints and skin.
If you develop symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, contact your doctor right away.
They can order testing to accurately diagnose you and get you on a treatment plan.
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