“It’s okay, Stephanie. You are suffering from psoriatic arthritis, which is a side effect of psoriasis. The drugs we will use to treat your psoriasis will also help relieve the symptoms of your psoriatic arthritis as well.”

“Arthritis…but I thought that was something for old people? How do I have arthritis?” asks Stephanie.

“Not all types of arthritis are experienced by people of advanced age,” corrects Dr. Shelby. “In fact, some of them can appear in people much younger. We need to be careful too, because there are several other conditions, called ‘comorbidities’ that can occur in people with psoriasis.”

Questions:

1. What are the three most types of arthritis?What causes each of them? Which one is most common to psoriatic arthritis?

2. What percentage of people with psoriasis will eventually develop psoriatic arthritis?

3. What lifestyle changes can Stephanie make to help alleviate the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis?

4. Name three other conditions that can occur in a person suffering from psoriasis. For each of these conditions, describe why they may occur in someone with psoriasis.