MSK Autoimmune

Question 1

Psoriatic Arthritis

Answer 1

An autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and pain, linked with psoriasis, a chronic skin and nail disease. Psoriasis causes red, scaly rashes and thick, pitted fingernails. It tends to affect fewer joints than RA.

Question 2

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Answer 2

An autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and pain. It happens when the immune system doesn’t work properly and attacks the lining of the joints, called the synovium. The disease commonly affects the hands, knees or ankles, and usually the same joint on both sides of the body, such as both hands or both knees. But sometimes RA causes problems in other parts of the body as well, such as the eyes, heart and circulatory system and/or the lungs.

For unknown reasons, more women than men get RA, and it usually develops in middle age. Having a family member with RA increases the odds of developing RA.