Tag Archives: psoriatic arthritis risks

Statins Arthritis Inflammation

Statins May Cut Death Risk in Those with Psoriatic Arthritis & Ankylosing Spondylitis

People with ankylosing spondylitis or psoriatic arthritis who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins seem to live longer than people who don’t take them, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. They presented their findings recently at the American College of Rheumatology’s 2016 Annual Meeting.

In a previous study, Massachusetts General researchers found that people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who took statins lived longer, and they wanted to know if the drugs would offer a similar benefit to patients with other types of inflammatory arthritis, such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). AS mainly affects the spine, especially the sacroiliac joint where the spine meets the pelvis. PsA affects joints as well as skin.
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Smoking Increases Psoriatic Arthritis

Smoking Increases the Risk of Psoriatic Arthritis

Smoking can have harmful effects on your skin and joints, increasing the risk and severity of the scaling skin disease psoriasis, and the arthritis that often accompanies it – psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Several studies have found an association between smoking and psoriatic arthritis, but further research is needed to gain a better understanding of cause and effect.

In a 2014 study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, researchers in Denmark investigated the smoking-psoriatic arthritis connection in 1,388 psoriatic arthritis patients from a nationwide registry. They found that compared with non-smoking psoriatic arthritis patients, smoking PsA patients had worse self-reported disease. Smokers also had shorter treatment adherence (meaning they didn’t follow their prescribed treatment plan for as long)  and a poorer response to treatment.

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Obesity Increases Psoriatic Arthritis

Obesity Can Increase the Risk of Psoriatic Arthritis

From osteoarthritis to heart disease to diabetes, obesity is implicated in a host of diseases. A study now adds one more condition to the list: psoriatic arthritis, or PsA.

Psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune condition, is a form of inflammatory arthritis that affects an estimated 6 to 10 percent of people with of the skin condition psoriasis and up to 40 percent of those with extensive psoriasis. It can also affect people who do not have the skin disease.

It’s been known that being overweight or obese increases a person’s chances of developing psoriasis. But a study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, researchers report a link between body mass index, or BMI, and psoriatic arthritis, too.

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