The facts you need to know about psoriatic arthritis (PsA)

What is PsA?

PsA is a condition where your immune system (which usually protects your body against infection) mistakenly attacks the healthy tissue of your joints, resulting in inflammation of the joint. Due to this, PsA is known as an autoimmune disease.¹

If left untreated, the inflammation of the joint tissue can cause permanent and irreversible damage to your bones and joints.¹

Who does PsA affect?

PsA usually develops in people who have a skin disease called psoriasis.^1,2 For some people, the arthritis may appear before or at the same time as psoriasis, but in most cases, the skin condition precedes the joint problems.¹

SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE PsA

PsA affects about 1 in 10 people with psoriasis^1,2

SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE PsA

PsA occurs in less than 1% of the worldwide population³

What are the symptoms of PsA?

The symptoms of PsA can vary between people. For some people, only a single joint is affected, while in others many different joints across the body can be affected.¹

Symptoms may include

Pain, swelling or stiffness in one or more joints.

Buttocks, lower back or neck may feel stiff and painful.

Pain in tendons, which are the strong cords that attach muscles onto bones such as at the back of the heel or sole of the foot.

Itchy and painful red patches or a silvery white build-up of dead skin cells which appear on the skin. Areas most commonly affected are the knees, elbows and scalp, but a rash can occur anywhere on the body. This is not contagious.

Fingernails or toenails becoming thick, pitted, changing colour or separating from the nail bed.

Pain and redness in the eyes.

Getting very tired or fatigued.

What causes PsA?

The cause of PsA is not fully understood, but may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.^2,4

Genetic

If someone in your family has PsA you can be up to four times more likely to get it.

Environmental

Smoking can increase the likelihood of getting PsA
Stress or physical trauma may lead to the development of PsA
An infection or a virus could lead to the development of PsA

What are flares and what causes them?

Flares or flare-ups are times when you experience acute worsening of your symptoms.⁵

Signs that you are about to experience a flare may include:⁵

Joint pain and swelling
Skin rash
Fatigue and mental problems

Triggers for flares are largely unknown, can vary from person to person, and even change throughout a person's life. Common triggers include:⁵

Stress
Injury or illness
Not taking medicines
Unhealthy lifestyle

Flares can be prevented by proactive action:⁵

Identify your triggers and take measures to address them (e.g. if your trigger is stress, you can invest in stress management strategies such as seeing a counsellor)
Lead a healthy lifestyle for an overall reduction in PsA symptoms
Take care of your mental health
Get advice from your doctor to help you manage your flares

What does remission mean?

Remission is the main goal of PsA treatment and refers to the absence of the symptoms.² Your doctor can determine whether you are in remission if you are no longer showing any of the main signs of active disease. There are also a number of tests and scores your doctor can use to tell if your PsA is in remission.⁶

PsA symptoms can be different from person to person.⁶ The type and severity of your symptoms will determine your treatment plan and whether you will be able to achieve remission. Even if you are unable to reach ‘remission’, it is important to work with your doctor to achieve a good quality of life.⁶

References: 1. Arthritis Australia. Psoriatic arthritis information sheet. Available from:arthritisaustralia.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ArthAus_PsoriaticArthritis_1805.pdf Accessed: August 2025. 2. Arthritis Australia. Taking control of your psoriatic arthritis. Available from: arthritisaustralia.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Psoriatic-Arthritis-WEB-2019.pdf Accessed: August 2021. 3. Ogdie A, Weiss P. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 2015;41(4):545–568. 4. Arthritis Foundation. Psoriatic arthritis. Available from: arthritis.org/diseases/psoriatic-arthritis Accessed: August 2025. 5. Creaky Joints. Psoriatic arthritis flare-ups: exactly what to do when you get one. Available from: creakyjoints.org/living-with-arthritis/psoriatic-arthritis-flare-ups Accessed: August 2025. 6. Creaky Joints. Psoriatic arthritis remission. Available from: creakyjoints.org/education/psoriatic-arthritis/remission Accessed: August 2022. AC-005092-00. AU-RNQ-250037. August 2025.