the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis can be similar to rheumatoid arthritis with morning pain and stiffness along with fatigue. you may have pain and stiffness in the hands wrists elbows shoulders knees ankles feet and spine. arthritis that affects many joints symmetrically is common with psoriatic arthritis. this symmetrical pattern is almost the same as rheumatoid arthritis. yet sometimes psoriatic arthritis joints are less tender than rheumatoid arthritis joints so you may have joint deformity with psoriatic arthritis without significant pain. with psoriasis you may have thick inflamed red skin patches (called plaques) covered with white or silvery scales usually on the elbows knees or other areas. in addition more than 80% of patients with psoriatic arthritis have nail involvement with pitted discolored or thickened nails. psoriatic arthritis can cause a sausage-like swelling of fingers and toes which usually occurs when the fingernails are pitted or discolored. in some people with psoriatic arthritis only one joint is affected yet not the other (one knee only for example). sometimes the spine is affected or just the fingers and toes. about 1/3 of patients with psoriatic arthritis have eye problems such as conjunctivitis or pink eye.
what are the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis?