Does anyone think they know what triggered their PSA?
What a great question,
! Of course, it's hard to know for certain what triggers PsA in people, some people do have some ideas about their own experience, so I hope some of our community members can share their thoughts with you here. In the meantime, I thought you might be interested in this article from our editorial team about Common Triggers for PsA, https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-basics/cause-triggers. How about you? In your experience do you feel you have a good idea on what might have triggered your PsA? I'd be interested to hear more about your personal experience, if you're willing to share. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member) 
Mine was triggered by stress. I would later find out it is genetic on my dad's side. I was 33, going through my 2nd divorce and my uncle passed away during this time. It was just a lot and it made the PSO start.
I'm pretty sure mine was triggered by a dose of covid. I had a very mild case of covid. My only symptoms were light headedness and intermittent blurry vision. However, I developed psoriasis on the scalp shortly afterwards. I had never had psoriasis before. The occasional light headedness has continued since then. Then I developed enthesitis, tendonitis, bursitis and dactylitis on one foot, which was what prompted the visit to the rheumatologist who diagnosed me with PsA. I have since discovered one of my cousins also has it. He got his much younger than me. I was 58 when I got the dose of covid.
Hi
, that is so interesting, and we appreciate you sharing your experience. I know we have several community members who had the experience of their psoriasis being triggered after a viral or bacterial infection, so it certainly is possible that a covid infection triggered yours. Of course, nobody knows why some people are more prone to developing an autoimmune condition than others, but genetics certainly can also be a factor (as you point out your cousin also having PsA). I did share an article with more information on triggers earlier, that I'll share again here, in case you're interested, https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-basics/cause-triggers. How are you managing currently? It certainly sounds like you've been dealing with a lot before getting to your PsA diagnosis. Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
I began having "unidentified" health issues shortly after returning from the Persian Gulf War of 1991, where many in my unit were exposed to low levels of chemical nerve agent. I even got a letter from the Department of Defense stating that I was exposed, based on my unit's known locations. Many of the health issues I had were attributed to an overactive immune system. I was finally diagnosed with PsA.
