Are there tests for psoriatic arthritis?

[Fred]

When it comes to PsA, you can't see most of the inflammation. So don't go by how much swelling there is.

My experience of psa was most visibly of swollen knuckles. I could hold left and right knuckles together and see the size difference. It also affected different knuckles at different times, including toes.

Just to throw in a bit more, I've had both of the above.  

From a huge sausage little toe that ended up almost as large as my big toe. To severe pain without being unable to unlock my fingers, but no swelling.

So as you can see Jim there is no 100% way of telling.  

I may be wrong but I thought ESR and CRP could also show high with a psoriasis flare in a person without psoriatic arthritis.

One thing for sure though Jim if you do get psoriatic arthritis, once you've had it a while you'll soon get to know what a nasty bugger it is.

[jiml]

When it comes to PsA, you can't see most of the inflammation. So don't go by how much swelling there is.

My experience of psa was most visibly of swollen knuckles. I could hold left and right knuckles together and see the size difference. It also affected different knuckles at different times, including toes.

Just to throw in a bit more, I've had both of the above.  

From a huge sausage little toe that ended up almost as large as my big toe. To severe pain without being unable to unlock my fingers, but no swelling.

So as you can see Jim there is no 100% way of telling.  

I may be wrong but I thought ESR and CRP could also show high with a psoriasis flare in a person without psoriatic arthritis.

One thing for sure though Jim if you do get psoriatic arthritis, once you've had it a while you'll soon get to know what a nasty bugger it is.  

thanks for your experience and I hope if I am unlucky enough to have it, it will be relatively kind to me

[Bill]

Well if you do have psa Jim, it is probably being mitigated by your Fumaderm. You could always go cold turkey to test the idea, but I would not recommend this.

[Fred]

Well if you do have psa Jim, it is probably being mitigated by your Fumaderm. You could always go cold turkey to test the idea, but I would not recommend this.

Bill has a point Jim, you could try lowering your dose just enough to keep the psoriasis at bay and see if the pain in your joints gets any worse.

[jiml]

Well if you do have psa Jim, it is probably being mitigated by your Fumaderm. You could always go cold turkey to test the idea, but I would not recommend this.

Bill has a point Jim, you could try lowering your dose just enough to keep the psoriasis at bay and see if the pain in your joints gets any worse.

f blow that I mean no I'm not about to test it out
Before I started Fumaderm I had 2 episodes of not being able to move my arms or legs .... One episode came on while driving and I had to stop, be helped out of the car  by my wife, and she had to drive home
A couple of diclofenac and I recovered after a while, I wonder now if that could have been it starting ...and like you say Fumaderm is holding it back

[Fred]

f blow that I mean no I'm not about to test it out

[mataribot]

Bill I disagree. PsA is a true Rheumatic diseases in the sense that if it can be inflamed, PsA can inflame it. One specific target of PsA is tendons. Inflammation of tendons is not always visible especially if the back is involved. If take a look at trials and studies you'll notice that swollen joints is just one of many categories.

[JohnB]

Interesting thread this   .
But I think it might have turned me into a hypochondriac. Are all these twinges and random aches the start of PSa or am I just getting old  .

I have had a dodgy left ankle since my mid teens. Nothing wrong on Xrays, Quacks put it down to muscular. To me it felt like I had 2 screwdrivers rammed into the joint and someone was trying to prize it apart (pain index = 11/10). By the end of the day I just couldn't walk on it. The pain did die down over the years but seems to be making a comeback recently. Maybe I need to start asking the question - Could I have had PSa all this time?

[jiml]

Interesting thread this   .
But I think it might have turned me into a hypochondriac. Are all these twinges and random aches the start of PSa or am I just getting old  .

I have had a dodgy left ankle since my mid teens. Nothing wrong on Xrays, Quacks put it down to muscular. To me it felt like I had 2 screwdrivers rammed into the joint and someone was trying to prize it apart (pain index = 11/10). By the end of the day I just couldn't walk on it. The pain did die down over the years but seems to be making a comeback recently. Maybe I need to start asking the question - Could I have had PSa all this time?

 John I'm the hypochondriac on this forum there's not room for 2

But reading things here does tend to make you wonder I agree ... Hopefully neither of us have got it  

[Fred]

Maybe I need to start asking the question - Could I have had PSa all this time?

For those of you in the UK: NICE issues new guidance for GPs treating psoriasis

Quote:

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Also in its new clinical guideline, NICE advises that everyone with psoriasis should be assessed for psoriatic arthritis on an annual basis.