“In a person who does not have psoriasis, the probability of joint engagement is around 2%, while more than 40% of people with psoriatic arthritis have a family history of psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. However, there are some types of investigations that we rheumatologists use, such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, which show us that the percentage of patients already suffering from psoriasis who develop psoriatic arthritis is much higher (60%) than what the literature tells us. “So Rosario Buono, specialist in rheumatology and director of the rheumatology unit of the Cardarelli hospital in Naplesin an interview published on the website of Allies for Healththe portal dedicated to medical-scientific information created by Novartis, takes stock of the chronic inflammatory pathology which, if treated and treated late, increases the probability of loss of functionality and permanent disability.
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) predominantly affects the joints with symptoms such as pain, swelling and stiffness, and therefore with inevitable limitations in daily life. In Italy, the Italian Society of Rheumatology estimates, PsA affects about 500,000 people. Most patients develop psoriasis first, but the reverse can also happen.
“It is a disease that has an autoimmune etiology – underlines the expert – Generally there is a genetic predisposition on which factors that can determine the onset of joint manifestations are then inserted. But the disease is not linked. only to skin manifestations (psoriasis, in fact) and articular ones, but it can also give a systemic involvement with the involvement of the intestine and the eye. For these reasons it is now considered a real disease “.
Psoriatic arthritis manifests itself “with skin lesions and subsequently with the appearance of arthralgia – continues Buono – which can involve large joints such as knees, hips and shoulders. However, in some cases, disorders involving the joints of the hands and feet appear. Not only. Psoriatic arthritis involves involvement involving the joint at the insertion of the tendon (enthesis), involving the flexor tendons, and the vertebral column in 40% of patients with axial engagement “.
The psoriatic patient who presents manifestations such as pain under the heel, lower back pain and in the joints of the hands, knees and hips, according to the expert “must first talk to their doctor and request basic tests, such as blood tests. . Afterwards, however, it is good that you go to a rheumatologist specialist “.
Thanks to biotechnological drugs, the disease is kept under control. “Currently – underlines Buono – we have many therapies available for psoriatic arthritis, including biotechnological drugs capable of blocking the progression of joint damage at the peripheral and axial level”. “We have about 10 biotechnological drugs that give us the possibility to treat all the manifestations of the disease, if there is an axial or joint type commitment rather than an articular type”. The full interview is available on: https://www.alleatiperlasalute.it/whatsapp-con-il-medico/artrite-psoriasica-le-5-cose-da-sapere.
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