Читать книгу Arthritis For Dummies - Barry Fox - Страница 103

A specific test for PsA doesn’t exist, so the diagnosis is based on patient history and a physical exam. Typical signs of PsA (besides joint pain) include skin psoriasis, a family history of psoriasis, nail psoriasis, swelling of the fingers or toes (dactylitis), and inflammation of the areas where tendons insert on bone (enthesitis). Psoriatic arthritis is also particularly likely to occur in the joints at the end of the fingers near the fingernails.

Treatment is important, because psoriatic arthritis can cause severe damage to the joints. Unfortunately, it has no cure, but just like RA there are many medicines that have revolutionized its treatment. Standard treatment for PsA includes DMARDs such as methotrexate or biologics such as Humira to slow the progression of the disease and protect the joints from permanent damage.

Though many of the treatments for PsA and RA overlap, they are very different diseases. During the past few years, the FDA has approved several new drugs to treat psoriatic arthritis that don’t work for RA, like secukinumab (Cosentyx) and guselkumab (Tremfya). Chapter 8 tells you more about these medications.