‘Serious’ form of arthritis could be caused by common skin condition

‘Serious’ form of arthritis could be caused by common skin conditionEven people who have family members with the skin condition could be at riskCommentsNewsSamantha Leathers Senior Money & Lifestyle writer15:02, 17 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesPsoriatic arthritis can affect adults of any age (Image: GETTY)Psoriasis, which affects over a million people in the UK, could put patients and their family members at risk for a unique form of arthritis. It can affect a range of joints across the body and even cause disability in severe cases if it’s left untreated.‌Psoriatic arthritis affects around one in five people with psoriasis, according to Psoriasis Association UK. The two key symptoms for psoriatic arthritis are having skin, nail or scalp psoriasis and developing pain, stiffness or swelling in the joints, although which joints are specifically affected can drastically differ from person to person.‌Cases of psoriasis that affect the fingernails are usually linked to arthritis in the end of the finger joints. Other commonly affected joints include the knees, ankles, wrists, hips and small joints of the hands and feet.‌View 3 ImagesPsoriatic arthritis can affect a number of joints including the spine and sacroiliac joints(Image: GETTY)Arthritis Action notes that psoriatic arthritis can affect adults of any age. Some may experience a mild case only impacting one or two finger joints, while others may find the arthritis edging into their spine and sacroiliac joints.Symptoms in affected joints, according to Psoriasis Association UK:‌Stiffness, pain, throbbing, swelling and tenderness in one or more jointsSwollen sausage-like finger(s) or toe(s)Nail changesTenderness, pain and swelling over tendonsA reduced range of movementGeneral tiredness and fatigueThese symptoms are usually worse in the morning and some people may also find their symptoms wax and wane over time.There is no blood test to confirm a psoriatic arthritis diagnosis. Instead, doctors will inspect your joints and...