You can have joint issues as a normal part of aging, but sometimes these problems are a sign of something else. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common kind of arthritis and has similar symptoms to psoriatic arthritis (PsA), but there are differences between them.
How They Happen
Osteoarthritis happens when cartilage in your joints wears away over time.
In contrast, psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease. It happens when your immune system mistakenly views healthy cells as a threat and attacks them. Psoriatic arthritis can affect your skin, nails, and joints.
Differences in Symptoms
With osteoarthritis, you may have less range of motion and struggle with day-to-day movements like sitting down. You could also have joints that are stiff, swollen, and painful. Osteoarthritis can also create growths on the ends of your bones called bone spurs. People usually get osteoarthritis in their hands, hips, feet, knees, and spine.
With psoriatic arthritis, you can develop symptoms of psoriasis (like thick patches of skin with scales that look white or silvery) before you show signs of psoriatic arthritis. You may also feel tired and your nails could crumble, have dents in them, and lift away from the nailbed. It can make joints stiff, painful, and swollen. Your joints may also feel warm when you touch them because of inflammation.
Psoriatic arthritis often affects your hips, knees, fingers, and toes. You can have both conditions in any of your joints.
Who Is at Risk?
Osteoarthritis is common in people over the age of 40. You also have more risk of getting it if your lifestyle involves heavy use of your joints or puts a lot of pressure on them and if you:
- Are obese (meaning that your BMI is 30 or greater)
- Spend lots of time picking things up and moving them around for work
- Have injured a joint, or play a sport that could give you a joint injury
Osteoarthritis is also more common in women than men.
Psoriatic arthritis is equally common in men and women. It usually starts between ages 30 to 50 but can also begin in childhood.
Doctors don’t know what causes psoriatic arthritis. Family history is important; your risk may be higher if a relative has psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. An infection could play a role in sparking your immune system to attack your joints, too.
Diagnosis
You can have osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis at the same time. There isn’t one test your doctor can give you to diagnose you with either condition. Instead, they will look for specific signs of each disease.
For psoriatic arthritis, your doctor will check for joint sensitivity plus specific skin and nail symptoms. They may also ask you where you have swelling and discomfort so that they can figure out patterns of your arthritis. Any patterns of arthritis you have will help your doctor narrow down your specific type of psoriatic arthritis.
To diagnose you with osteoarthritis, your doctor will also look for joint pain and swelling. They may ask you about symptoms like feeling stiff when you wake up and if you hear noises when you move your joints. They will also look for signs like bony growths around joints.
For both conditions, you may get X-rays, an MRI, a CT scan, or ultrasound so your doctor can see inside your joints. Your doctor may do a blood test or gather fluid from a joint to make sure you don’t have another form of arthritis.
Treatments
Osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis are both chronic conditions that don’t have a cure, but treatments can ease symptoms.
Lifestyle changes like losing weight and physical therapy can help for both conditions. You might also take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen.
Psoriatic arthritis treatment can also include steroid injections, biologic drugs made from living cells, and traditional medication.
For osteoarthritis, you could take prescription medication, get injections, and have joints replaced.
