The stiffness and inflammation in joints noticed in both psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis cases are similar because they are both caused by a type of erosive inflammatory arthritis. In fact, the definition of both disease state that they are inflammatory diseases. Although joint affection is similar, there are usually differences in the joint pattern affected by the arthritis. Psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis tend to attack them in different ways. Psoriatic arthritis will cause deformities, inflammation, stiffness and pain in random joints, usually the DIP joints of toes and fingers, those that are already affected by psoriatic nail changes. Rheumatoid arthritis on the hand will attack major joints of the body in a symmetrical fashion. This means that if one knee shows symptoms of arthritis, the other one will as well. Unfortunately, there are also cases of psoriatic arthritis that will affect the human body in a symmetrical fashion. On the other hand, it is very rare that we would be dealing with symmetrical psoriatic arthritis that is identical with rheumatoid arthritis and we do not also have skin lesions that are linked to psoriasis to differentiate the two. If this is the case, there are still special lab tests and x-rays to be performed in order to provide a proper diagnosis.
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