Psoriatic arthritis is a kind of arthritis which affects people who have a chronic skin condition called psoriasis. The most common symptoms of this condition are inflammation of joints in knees, ankles and feet. This can flare up at times or remain a chronic and debilitating condition. Inflamed joints become red, hot and swollen. Another common symptom is pain and stiffness of joints.

People find it difficult to stand up and move, especially after resting or sleeping. Spondylitis is sometimes associated with psoriatic arthritis. This causes pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Other symptoms include inflammation of tendons and cartilage, fatigue and so on. Patients also experience changes in their nails. Pits or depressions begin to appear on the nails and the nails may loosen or crumble. Psoriatic arthritis can cause inflammation of the eyes, leading to conjunctivitis.

Sometimes pleuritis or inflammation of the area around the lungs also occurs. This can cause breathing problems and chest pain. In some cases the aorta gets inflamed leading to leakage of valves, breathing trouble and heart attack. A small percentage of people with psoriatic arthritis have a destructive condition called arthritis mutilans, where the bones become inflamed and are destroyed. This leads to permanent deformity and disability.