Nail pitting Nail pitting is the most common nail change in psoriatic arthritis. Pits appear as tiny dents in the nail plate. One or more nails can be affected, and there can be just a couple or dozens of them on each nail. People with eczema and alopecia areata can also have nail pitting.
The common clinical manifestations of nail psoriasis are nail Pitting, subungual hyperkeratosis, onycholysis, and oil drop discoloration. However, nail plate crumbling, red spots in lunula, leuconychia, and splinter hemorrhages are other features.
If you have psoriasis, it's important to check your fingernails and toenails for signs of nail psoriasis. Common signs include: Tiny dents in your nails (called “nail pits”) White, yellow, or brown discoloration.
Pits, horizontal lines, deformity, discoloration, onycholysis (lifting of the nail plate from the nail bed), brittle nails that crumble or splinter, and thickening of the nails can all be signs that nail psoriasis is present.
The most common nail sign in psoriasis is pitting, which affects approximately 68% of patients with psoriasis and nail changes. It is also the most common symptom in psoriatic arthritis [1].
Psoriatic arthritis can also cause different color changes in your nails, like: Oil drops or salmon patches are small, yellow-pink patches on the nail bed. These are usually only seen in psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Leukonychia are small, white dots or lines on the nails.
Psoriatic arthritis causes inflamed, swollen, and painful joints. It happens most often in the fingers and toes. It can lead to deformed joints.
The good news is that there are many treatments for nail psoriasis: The two mainstays are topical steroids and the vitamin D-based treatment calcipotriene. Treatments like biologics and retinoids — which work throughout the body — can also treat both your skin and nails.
In many cases, you can help cover up nail psoriasis with nail polish, or by gently buffing your nails. Avoid pushing back your cuticles or scraping underneath your nails, because injury to your nails can cause a flare-up. Depending on how psoriasis is affecting your nails, you may be able to use artificial nails.
Nail abnormalities associating systemic disorders are very important for both rheumatologists and dermatologists because they are easily examined and may be the only initial signal of this disease [17].
Psoriatic arthritis can cause a painful, sausage-like swelling of your fingers and toes. Foot pain. Psoriatic arthritis can also cause pain at the points where tendons and ligaments attach to your bones — especially at the back of your heel (Achilles tendinitis) or in the sole of your foot (plantar fasciitis).
Nail pitting is when small round depressions or notches appear in the nails. It's common in people who have skin disorders such as psoriasis and eczema. Nail pitting also may be related to alopecia areata — an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.
Nail psoriasis sometimes causes too much keratin to grow under the nail. This overgrowth is called subungual hyperkeratosis. People with hyperkeratosis may notice a white, chalky substance under the nail. When this occurs in the toenails, the pressure of shoes pushing down on the nails might cause pain.
There are eight primary triggers of psoriatic arthritis: stress, illness, skin trauma, drug interactions, alcohol and cigarette smoke, diet, and dry and cold weather. Symptoms can vary widely, and so can treatment options.
Psoriatic Arthritis Blood Test: Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Test. Blood tests that look for the presence of anti-cylic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCPs), which are inflammatory, are commonly used to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, but anti-CCPs can also indicate psoriatic arthritis.
PsA is often undiagnosed and can be misdiagnosed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA), especially in a non-rheumatologic setting [7–9]. RA is a chronic inflammatory arthritis typified by pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints, particularly symmetric small-joint synovitis of the hands and feet [10].
“Left untreated, it can result in fatigue and a general feeling of sickness. It can also result in anemia due to prolonged inflammation.” Anemia can be an independent reason for fatigue and can be resolved with treatment, adds Gupta.
The disease often appears between ages 30 and 50. For many people, it starts about 10 years after psoriasis develops, but some develop PsA first or without ever developing or noticing psoriasis.
Blood tests can help diagnose psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rule out other possible causes of joint pain and stiffness, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Examples include tests for c-reactive protein (CRP) and rheumatoid factor. Doctors do not rely solely on blood tests to diagnose PsA.
Psoriatic Arthritis in Your Hands and Fingers
Swelling inside the joints of your hands can make them stiff and sore. You may have swelling outside of the joints, too. These symptoms may affect one hand more than the other. PsA can also make your fingers swell up, so they look like little sausages.
Stiff, puffy, sausage-like fingers or toes are common, along with joint pain and tenderness. The psoriasis flares and arthritis pain can happen at the same time and in the same place, but not always. You may also notice: Dry, red skin patches with silvery-white scales.
Psoriatic Arthritis - Orange and Lavender Awareness Ribbons
Like psoriasis, PsA is an autoimmune disease, meaning it occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, in this case the joints and skin.