Q: What is the treatment for psoriatic arthritis?

There are now many treatment options available to people with psoriatic arthritis, some options will have to meet certain criteria before being offered, but there are many to be tried and tailor-made to the patient’s needs.

• The treatments range from:

• Mild painkillers; if aches and pains are mild enough.
• Steroid (cortisone) injections; these reduce inflammation and swelling and are sometimes offered if one or two joints/ tendons are troublesome and can bring some short-term relief.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs known as NSAIDs; these help to reduce pain and swelling of joints and allieviate stiffness that can occur.
• Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs known as DMARDs – these drugs aim to prevent psoriatic arthritis from getting worse, and can take up to six months before you may notice any significant change.
• Biological treatments; these are a new concept in treating both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Before these are offered, there are set criteria to be met and in most cases will not be offered until other avenues of treatments have been tried. It is early days for biological therapies, so discuss these treatment options carefully with your doctors, making sure you know all the possible side-effects before embarking on these options.
• Exercise (under medical supervision) the affected joints and muscles which have stiffened.
• Dietary supplements such as evening primrose oil and certain fish oils are of variable effect.