Is The Development Of Arthritis In Both Hands With Deformed Knuckles When Diagnosed With Plaque Psoriasis Due To Psoriatic Arthritis?

Posted on Fri, 29 Jun 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 Answered on

Thu, 3 Feb 2022 Last reviewed on

Question : I have had plaque psoriasis patches on my left leg that appeared suddenly last Fall. They have been treated with a strong steroid cream and have disappeared. Concurrent with that, I suddenly developed arthritis in both hands. My knuckles are seriously deformed, stiff and painful in the morning. Could this be psoriatic arthritis ?

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
yes

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

in approximately 1 out of 7 patients joint problems may precede skin lesions. The distal-interphalangeal joints are mostly affected and many patients present with nail deformities as well, as these deformities are strongly associated with arthritis. The joint involvement can be either symmetric or asymmetric.

Since this type of arthritis may inflict irreversible damage to your joints, you'd better contact a rheumatologist as soon as possible for proper assessment and (if needed) prompt treatment. 60% of patients respond well to current treatments.

I hope I've shed some light into this subject for you! Please don't hesitate to get back to me if you need more help.

Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar