The Healthy explains the risks, triggers and treatment options for psoriatic arthritis and includes guidance from experts including Monica Schwartzman, MD, rheumatologist at HSS.

Dr. Schwartzman underscored the importance of early detection to lower the risk for other health problems and to prevent lasting joint damage. “An awareness of ways this disease can present and early identification is essential so we can intervene early with a treatment that will help us prevent other related diseases and more permanent joint damage and functional impairments down the line,” she explained.

About one-third of people with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis and Dr. Schwartzman noted psoriasis is “the biggest clinical risk factor for developing psoriatic arthritis.”

Psoriatic arthritis doesn’t always look the same from person to person, noted Dr. Schwartzman. She explained, “There is joint pain and joint swelling, and one of the tough things is that the pattern can be quite heterogeneous. It can be in the knees and elbows, small joints of hands, or the spine. It really runs the spectrum.”

According to Dr. Schwartzman, “It’s a very exciting time in psoriatic disease from a treatment perspective. Our treatment armamentarium has widely expanded with new medication approvals and guidelines that support their use. It’s a very promising time.”

Read the full article at Thehealthy.com.