Having Psoriatic Arthritis Without Having Psoriasis

Usually, when I write I do so telling about instances I have experienced in my years of dealing with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I always love getting feedback. It is through feedback that I grow as a writer and as a person. I never take any feedback personally. It is due to this feedback that I am writing this article. I was reminded that even though I talk about my experiences there are people that do not have a combination of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Some people do present with psoriatic arthritis without having any plaques or signs of psoriasis. This was not my case. However, I do know people that this applies to. I have to admit that when I found out that you can have psoriatic arthritis without having psoriasis it did kind of shock me. In my mind, I could see the correlation of having psoriasis and it progressing into psoriatic arthritis, not the other way around.

My experience with psoriasis and PsA

I have had psoriasis for sixteen years. At my worse, I was eighty percent covered. Psoriatic arthritis started presenting about six years ago. It first presented in my lower back. Today it is in my lower back, my hips and my knees. Like most of everyone, getting diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis was almost impossible. I was told I had osteoarthritis. It has only been within the last year that the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis has been formally assessed by a rheumatologist. The rule that letting psoriatic arthritis go unchecked causes permanent damage is so true. The damage to my joints now is a permanent fixture in my life. I have no choice but to accept that. Does it mean I am going to curl up in a ball? Not at all. I am going to do the best I can to keep pushing forward.

Knowing others diagnosed with PsA

As I stated earlier I do know people with psoriatic arthritis that do not have psoriasis. Some have developed psoriasis after the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. Others I know have not developed psoriasis at all. Of course, just like in my case most of them have had trouble getting the proper diagnosis. Psoriatic arthritis is also an autoimmune condition. However, while psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis do share similarities in being an autoimmune disease there has not been any proven reason why someone can have psoriatic arthritis without having psoriasis. The same is true with someone having psoriasis and not developing psoriatic arthritis. Hopefully one day the researchers can find out why this might be the case. Whether it is heredity in nature or caused by something else is to be determined. It is for this reason that the best they can do for now is to list psoriasis as a comorbidity of psoriatic arthritis and vice versa.

The daily challenges with both psoriasis and PsA

Whether it started with having psoriasis and then progressed or whether it started with psoriatic arthritis one thing is for certain - it is a painful condition that we live with. Psoriatic arthritis can and will cause permanent damage to joints that cannot be undone when it has gone untreated for a long time. Psoriatic arthritis can be debilitating even to the extent of requiring you to use a walker or wheelchair. It can stop you from enjoying your day to day life to the fullest. The simplest of tasks are so hard to do even taking more time than it did before you had the condition.

What symptoms started first?

Psoriatic arthritis makes it impossible to remember a date in time when you did not hurt. I know for me thinking back over the years I cannot think of a time that my body has not hurt. Just doing a simple task like standing at the sink to wash dishes causes my back to hurt. As I said my psoriatic arthritis presented after I had widespread psoriasis for many years. How did your psoriatic arthritis present? If you have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis without having psoriasis? Was it diagnosed right away? Does your family have a history of psoriasis? Let's discuss so we can educate those of us who were not aware that psoriatic arthritis can develop without having psoriasis.