Symptoms

About Psoriatic arthritis

PsA is a chronic, progressive disease, meaning that it not only continues over an extended period, but also worsens over time. Although you may experience periods where your symptoms appear to have improved, or even to have resolved completely, this is only temporary. Symptoms include:

The signs and symptoms of PsA often resemble those of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Both diseases cause swollen and painful joints. To read more about RA, you can visit the Rheumatoid Arthritis page. However, PsA is more likely to cause additional symptoms,¹ such as:

Swollen fingers and toes
Foot pain
Lower back pain
Nail changes
Eye inflammation

The diagram below shows the difference in symptoms.

A venn diagram showing the symptoms of RA and PsA. At the centre, for both RA and PsA: “Swollen, painful joints”, and “Symptoms begin in smaller joints (fingers, toes)”. In the RA only section: “Affects the same joints on both sides of the body”, “Involvement of tendons and ligaments uncommon”, “Does not affect the axial skeleton”, and “Rheumatoid nodules (lumps under the skin)”. In the PsA only section, “Often only affects one side of the body”, “inflammation of ligaments and tendons common”, “Affects joints in the back and pelvis”, “Eye swelling” and “Changes to nails”.”

PsA tends to cause changes which can be seen on an X-ray, which would not be seen in RA. Still, the similarities between PsA and RA can complicate the diagnosis.

References

Psoriatic arthritis – The Mayo Clinic. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/psoriatic-arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354076. Last accessed April 2025.