Question about psoriatic arthritis

[monk5531]

My brother has pa and lately my joints have been bothering me pretty bad. Is there a blood test or how is it diagnosed? Does the arthritis get more painful when you have more p. on you? Can someone give me some info, I dont speak to my bro very often because he has a lunatic wife.
Also is that even how you spell p.a.?

[MikeK]

Hi Monk,

Everyone and their pa is different. Some people who post here have very little psoriasis and severe PA. I remember seeing at least one post from someone who reported that they got a PA dignosis even though they didn't have any psoriasis. Some people have mild forms of both diseases, others aren't so lucky. According to the NPF, there are five different types of PA. Here's a link for some additional information: http://www.psoriasis.org/facts/psa/.

There's no specific test for pa. The diagnosis is made based on your symptoms, a through physical examination, x-rays, and blood tests to rule out other problems. Here's a link to a thread that includes a "must read" post from JesseLou (three posts down) she discusses the terms that must be used and the specific tests that must be ordered whenever a PA diagnosis is suspected: http://psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?threadid=9002.

Hope this helps.

Mike