Gene discovery offers hope for psoriasis

[Caroline]

I hope this leads to a blood test so a person can know if they're more likely to get PsA.  Then their treatments could be better.  Does it seem that some people have trouble getting PsA diagnosed because some doctors can't distinguish between this form of arthritis and others?

I have been confused over how they diagnose psoriatic arthritis here for awhile now.  I have osteoarthritis in my knees and it was easy to understand the diagnosis as the "cushion" had worn and the bone scrapes bone.  It's a wear and tear type of arthritis.  I do not have rheumatoid arthritis, which they do a blood test to determine (if I recall correctly) 

I did get a diagnosis on my ankles as having psoriatic arthritis, but I don't really know what it was based on. I had been told after exrays once that my ankles did not have osteoarthritis so I wondered if it's just from having psoriasis and they "assume" that's what is going on.

Correct. RA can be determined by means of a test.

Psoriatic Arthritis is very hard to diagnose.
But it is kind of a logical assumption that it is PsA when you already have psoriasis. But….. that indeed is an assumption.
It probably is PsA if it nicely reacts to Psoriasis treatments also.