Julie has psoriasis. It is in front of the camera and with humor that she tells us about her experiences and her daily life. In this seventh episode of “Julie has pso”, Julie met Marie, a patient also suffering from psoriasis and in particular psoriatic arthritis…
Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis
Marie has had psoriasis since she was a child. As an adult, she began to feel joint pain in the back, shoulders, hands and knees. Then one day the diagnosis fell: she suffers from psoriatic arthritis. The pains felt occur at night, at the end of the day or in the morning, this is called inflammatory pain. “In short, we have pain in the joints like the old, except that we are young”, summarizes Marie.
Certain parts of the body affected by psoriasissuch as fingernails, scalp, or the gluteal folds are more closely associated with the occurrence of psoriatic arthritis. “For probably genetic reasons, 15 to 20% of people with psoriasis also develop joint psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. This affects the spine and / or peripheral joints, ”explains Dr Anne-Claire Fougerousse, dermatologist at Bégin hospital (Val-de-Marne).
Adapt treatment for psoriasis
The diagnosis is usually suspected by the dermatologist. “But it is strongly recommended to go see a rheumatologist to confirm it, because other diseases can look like psoriatic arthritis”, specifies the dermatologist. In addition, developing this aspect of the disease tends to change the choice of initial treatment for psoriasis. ” Some psoriasis medications are for example more effective in treating rheumatism. The choice will also depend on the type of joints affected ”. The dermatologist and the rheumatologist can then choose together the most suitable treatment.
The treatment of psoriatic arthritis is based on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and infiltration. In case of failure and if the spine is damaged, the French society of rheumatology recommends the use of biotherapies, that is to say the injection of anti-inflammatory drugs. If the attack is peripheral, that is to say felt only in the limbs, oral medications, such as Methotrexate, may be sufficient.
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