Nearly 1 in 4 people with psoriasis may have undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis

If you have psoriasis or a family history of psoriasis and you are experiencing joint pain and swelling, you could have psoriatic arthritis, a serious disease that may lead to joint destruction and disability.

New research from the National Psoriasis Foundation reveals that nearly one in four people with psoriasis—the most common autoimmune disease in the country, affecting as many as 7.5 million Americans—may have undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis, a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects the joints and tendons. This is in addition to the up to 2 million people already diagnosed with the disease.

The Psoriasis Foundation study found that 22 percent of psoriasis-only participants had significant symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, such as joint pain, pain that moved from one joint to the other; joints that were hot to the touch; and swollen, sausagelike fingers and toes. For the full data snapshot, visit www. psoriasis.org/survey.

Other key findings revealed that people with psoriatic arthritis are not being diagnosed in a timely manner. Forty-four percent of these respondents said they experienced symptoms for a year or longer before being diagnosed. Nearly one in three reported a delay of two years or longer to receive diagnosis.

"It's vital to diagnose and treat psoriatic arthritis early in order to prevent or slow joint damage. Yet, nearly 30 percent of psoriatic arthritis patients said it took more than two years for a diagnosis," said Dr. Mark Lebwohl, chair of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board.

In response to these findings, the Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board issued a set of recommendations for both people with psoriasis and medical professionals who treat them to evaluate for symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.

What is psoriatic arthritis? Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic disease characterized by a form of inflammation of the skin (psoriasis) and joints (arthritis). Psoriasis is a common skin condition affecting 2% of the Caucasian population in the United States. It features patchy, raised, red areas of skin inflammation with scaling. Psoriasis often affects the tips of the elbows and knees, the scalp and ears, the navel, and around the genital areas or anus. Approximately 10% of patients who have psoriasis also develop an associated inflammation of their joints. Patients who have inflammatory arthritis and psoriasis are diagnosed as having psoriatic arthritis.

For people with psoriasis and/or a family history of the disease, the medical board recommends watching for the following symptoms, and if they experience one or more, to call their physician:

* Pain, swelling or stiffness in one or more joints;
* Joints that are red or warm to the touch;
* Frequent joint tenderness or stiffness;
* Sausagelike swelling in one or more of the fingers or toes;* Pain in and around the feet and ankles;* Changes to the nails, such as pitting or separation from the nail bed;* Pain in the lower back, above the tailbone.