Difference between Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis

postal12

Hi
I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis recently and wonder what the difference is between the two, if any. As I occasionally have psoriasis in my head (last 3 years), the Rheumatologist reckons I have a mixture of the two types of Arthritis.

Would be interested to receive any comments on this and whether they both have the same symptoms etc.

Very many thanks.

Angie

josiec

Hi, I've had a bit of a question mark over whether I have PA for a couple of years, but I also seem to have widespread OA. I think it is things like the inflammatory markers in blood are even less likely to be raised in PA than in RA (tricky as RA isn't necessarily shown in blood either) and that inflammation often affected tendons as well as the joints, with there often being pain where tendons join bones. PA likes little joints in fingers and toes as well, with toes often swelling and looking 'sausage like' in appearance. I was told that PA tends not to cause as much damage to joints as RA, but personally I'm not sure about that-am sure some people with PA would agree with me!! Hope this helps a bit - there are some booklets in the publications section which explain a bit more about the different types of arthritis. Best wishes, Josie

colinone

H Angie have a look at this it will explaine it all to you

http://www.medicinenet.com/psoriatic_arthritis/article.htm

Cheers
Colin

postal12

colinone wrote:

H Angie have a look at this it will explaine it all to you

http://www.medicinenet.com/psoriatic_arthritis/article.htm

Cheers
Colin

Hi everyone. Very many thanks for your really helpful comments and I have had a look at the website Colin mentioned and have printed out various articles to digest later.

I am on Methotrexate for both types of arthritis - started off 10 mg but had severe headaches, so am now taking 3 tablets and no real problem with side effects, at the moment! My second blood test showed up positive for RA but up until then the Rheumatologist wasnt sure if I had a viral arthritis or reactive arthritis. On my third visit I was asked if I had psoriasis and when I said yes, the Rheumatologist then said that she thought I had a combination of the two types of arthritis. I believe RA, PA, Gout, MS and some other diseases are all in the same group of autoimmune diseases and that treatment can be similar.

The website Colin has quoted has lots of useful information about PA.

Thanks again for getting back to me.

Best wishes

Angie