Causes of Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis occurs as a result of the body’s immune system mistakenly attacking healthy cells and tissues. In people with psoriasis, the faulty immune response causes the body to make new skin cells very quickly, which stack on top of each other and form plaques. When the condition affects the joints, it leads to inflammation.
Although the exact cause of psoriatic arthritis has not been found, researchers have found connections to both genetics and environment. There has been a higher risk of people whose close relatives have psoriatic arthritis to develop the condition.
A 2017 review that appears in The New England Journal of Medicine also noted other possible factors that may contribute to one’s potential of developing psoriatic arthritis, they include obesity [1], severe psoriasis, nail disease, traumatic injuries and smoking.
Psoriatic arthritis can occur to anyone at any age, but according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, most people with psoriatic arthritis first notice symptoms about 10 years after their psoriasis begins. Symptoms often begin between the ages of 30 and 50. That you have psoriasis does not mean that you will develop psoriatic arthritis for sure. In fact, psoriatic arthritis only occurs in about 30 percent of people who have psoriasis.