Psoriatic arthritis

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

	Main Article	Talk	Related Articles  [?]	Bibliography  [?]	External Links  [?]
	This is a draft article, under development and not meant to be cited but you can help to improve it. These unapproved articles are subject to a disclaimer. [edit intro]

Psoriatic arthritis is a "type of inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis, often involving the axial joints and the peripheral terminal interphalangeal joints. It is characterized by the presence of HLA-B27-associated spondylarthropathy, and the absence of rheumatoid factor" (RF).^[1] The original diagnostic criteria, not involving genetic analysis, are of Moll & Wright:^[2] Rheumatologists find these still somewhat vague, and also can be confounded by comorbidities. For example, a patient might have rheumatoid arthritis and have a positive RF test, but coincidentally have non-arthritic psoriasis. ^[3] There also may be hidden psoriatic lesions, and Helliwell & Taylor suggest that confirmed psoriasis in a first-degree relative may meet the criteria.

References