Psoriatic Arthritis
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Diagnosed With Psoriatic Arthritis — What Should I Do Now?

Here's your step-by-step companion guide.
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Published on February 2, 2024
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What Does Psoriatic Arthritis Mean for Me?

Psoriatic arthritis can cause joint pain, swelling, and stiffness; fatigue; pitting and flaking of the fingernails and toenails; back pain; eye inflammation; and more, but we’re here to help you navigate your diagnosis.

Getting an accurate diagnosis means that you can start treatment to lower the inflammation in your body and alleviate your symptoms. However, finding the right treatment can involve some trial and error, so you may need to see your rheumatologist frequently, at least at first, to determine whether the medication you’re using is working effectively for you.

Setting treatment goals in partnership with your doctor can be helpful in assessing how well a treatment is working. Your primary goal may be remission (no disease activity), minimal disease activity, or improvement in a particular symptom or set of symptoms.

a graphic of the next steps to take after being diagnosed: medication, healthy diet, no smoking, exercise, and manage stress
Here’s where to start as you manage psoriatic arthritis.Everyday Health

What Can I Do for Psoriatic Arthritis?

Medication is the mainstay of treatment for psoriatic arthritis, along with a healthy lifestyle. Some of the types of medication used to treat psoriatic arthritis include:

Drug Class
What It Does

NSAIDs

NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen help control inflammation, pain, and stiffness.

Corticosteroids

These drugs are used mainly to reduce inflammation quickly during a symptom flare.

DMARDs

Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs suppress inflammatory pathways in the body.

Biologics

Each class of biologics targets a specific protein in the immune response that promotes inflammation.

PDE4 Inhibitors

This drug class selectively targets small molecules inside immune cells to correct the overactive immune response that causes inflammation in psoriatic arthritis.

JAK Inhibitors

These drugs inhibit the activity of enzymes that cause inflammation.

Lifestyle changes you can make right away include:

  • Follow a healthy diet. Your doctor might recommend the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes plant-based foods such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, and olive oil, as well as fish. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.
  • Don’t smoke. And if you are a current smoker, read our tips for how to kick the habit.
  • Try these low-impact workouts for people with psoriatic arthritis.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Limit alcohol.
  • Learn to manage stress. High stress levels can lead to symptom flares and increased pain.

What to Ask Your Doctor

Being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and learning to manage a new drug regimen can be a lot to take in, and you may have questions. Here are a few you might ask your doctor:

  • Does the drug I’m taking raise my risk of infection or other serious health concerns?
  • What other prescriptions may interact with my psoriatic arthritis medication?
  • What drug side effects or signs of drug interactions should I be aware of?
  • What other options are available for managing my psoriatic arthritis besides medication?
  • What are the warning signs that my disease is getting worse, not better?

When Do You Need Urgent Medical Attention?

Psoriatic arthritis itself doesn’t typically lead to life-threatening complications, but some of the drugs used to treat the disease can. For example, JAK inhibitors put you at higher risk of serious blood clots, heart attack, and stroke, and other drugs can cause an infusion reaction or a severe infection, according to the Arthritis Foundation.

 If you experience signs or symptoms of a life-threatening event, including any of the following, call 911 or go to the emergency department immediately:
  • Chest pain, shortness of breath, or other signs of a heart attack
  • Signs of stroke, such as sudden numbness, weakness, or the inability to move the face, arm, or leg
  • Signs or symptoms of sepsis, which include high fever or low body temperature, fast breathing, and fast heart rate
  • Signs of pulmonary embolism, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or fainting
  • Signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as a rash or hives, hoarse voice, and swelling of the face and tongue

Your Psoriatic Arthritis Care Team

Your rheumatologist will likely be the first doctor you talk to about your psoriatic arthritis. In addition, you might also want to have others on your team, such as:

Dermatologist?If you have psoriasis as well as psoriatic arthritis, you may need to see a dermatologist for treatment of it.

Primary Care Doctor?You’ll still need to see your primary care doctor for routine healthcare and checkups.

Physical Therapist?A physical therapist can teach you exercises and other techniques to reduce joint pain, restore or improve joint mobility, and make it easier to perform everyday tasks.

Finding Support

Although you should go to your doctor about treatment options, peer support can help you deal with day-to-day questions that come up when living with psoriatic arthritis.

National Psoriasis Foundation

In addition to providing information on psoriatic diseases, the NPF offers a One to One mentorship program as well as free community conferences featuring educational programs and opportunities to connect.

The Arthritis Foundation

Learn about all types of arthritis, call the helpline, attend webinars, and join a Live Yes! Connect Group to meet others in your community — virtually or in person — who understand what you’re going through.

Meet Our Experts
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Alexa Meara, MD

Medical Reviewer

Alexa Meara, MD, is an assistant professor of immunology and rheumatology at The Ohio State University.?She maintains a multidisciplinary vasculitis clinic and supervises a longitudinal registry of lupus nephritis and vasculitis patients. Her clinical research is in improving patient–physician communication. She is involved in the medical school and the Lead-Serve-Inspire (LSI) curriculum and serves on the medical school admissions committee; she also teaches multiple aspects of the Part One curriculum. Her interests in medical-education research include remediation and work with struggling learners.

Dr. Meara received her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.? She completed her internal medicine training at East Carolina University (ECU) at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina, then spent two more years at ECU, first as chief resident in internal medicine, then as the associate training program director for internal medicine. She pursued further training in rheumatology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, completing a four-year clinical and research fellowship?there in 2015.?

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Ingrid Strauch

Author

Ingrid Strauch joined the Everyday Health editorial team in May 2015 and oversees the coverage of multiple sclerosis, migraine, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, other neurological and ophthalmological diseases, and inflammatory arthritis. She is inspired by Everyday Health’s commitment to telling not just the facts about medical conditions, but also the personal stories of people living with them. She was previously the editor of Diabetes Self-Management and Arthritis Self-Management magazines.

Strauch has a bachelor’s degree in English composition and French from Beloit College in Wisconsin. In her free time, she is a literal trailblazer for Harriman State Park and leads small group hikes in the New York area.

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EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Using Treat-to-Target for PsA. Arthritis Foundation.
  2. Rath L. Know When to Go to the Emergency Room. Arthritis Foundation. February 14, 2023.
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