Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory disease that largely affects people with a skin condition known as psoriasis. This disease majorly causes joint and skin swelling and is common in people above 50 years, although it also affects children. In most cases, both men and women are affected by psoriatic arthritis in equal measures. Studies show that a single person in every seven people shows arthritic symptoms earlier than all other skin conditions.
There are two categories of psoriatic arthritis, i.e. symmetric psoriatic arthritis and asymmetric psoriatic arthritis. The symmetric psoriatic arthritis affects joints in both body sides at the same time. On the other hand, asymmetric psoriatic arthritis is mild and doesn’t affect similar joints on both body sides. To prevent psoriatic arthritis symptoms from worsening, it’s essential to check on your lifestyle. Keeping a look at your health habits will keep away joint pain and inflammation. Various triggers worsen this disease. Below are some top things that make psoriatic arthritis worse:
Poor diet
Medical practitioners usually give guidelines to psoriatic arthritis patients on foods to avoid that worsen the symptoms. Foods rich in sugar, saturated fats, and carbohydrates cause increased body weight and inflammation, thus triggering psoriatic arthritis symptoms. These foods include sugary drinks, processed meats, white rice, fried foods, white bread, candy and packaged snacks.
Stress
This is among the leading causes and triggers for psoriatic arthritis symptoms. Studies show that extreme stress levels result in increased inflammation and more pain. If you control your stress levels, you’ll always stay healthy and keep both inflammation and pain away.
Lack of exercise
Regular exercises are essential for maintaining healthy body weight and flexibility. However, lack of exercise results in rapid weight gain that adds pressure on the spine, joints and causes increased inflammation. This pressure on the spine and joints causes a lot of pain and worsens psoriatic arthritis symptoms.
Lack of enough sleep
Research has shown that there’s a clear relationship between sleep and psoriatic arthritis symptoms. Lack of enough sleep worsens psoriatic arthritis symptoms. Additionally, failure to get enough sleep results in increased stress levels. This further leads to the body, releasing some chemicals that cause inflammation. When you’re facing irregular sleep patterns, you should talk to a medical practitioner to be guided on the best ways for improving your sleeping habits.
Drinking alcohol
Alcohol has been linked to the development of psoriatic arthritis. Research shows that people who drink alcohol regularly have high chances of developing psoriatic arthritis. Again, alcohol is a trigger for psoriatic arthritis symptoms, especially when taken with medication-a combination of these medications and alcohol results in severe complications, including liver damage and stomach ulcers.
Smoking
Smoking has many adverse effects on the health of people. Smoking is a major risk factor for psoriatic arthritis. Additionally, smoking also worsens psoriatic arthritis symptoms by increasing pain and fatigue. Smoking also reduces medication efficiency since smokers won’t focus on the treatment plan as guided by medical practitioners.
Taking certain prescription drugs
There are some prescription drugs used for treating other conditions that can trigger the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. For instance, studies show that most anti-malarial drugs such as chloroquine aggravate psoriasis. Others include high blood pressure medications such as Inderal that trigger psoriasis symptoms.
Skin injury
Having skin injuries resulting from surgery, cuts or sunburns can worsen the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. In this case, the part of the body that gets an injury is more likely to be affected by psoriasis arthritis. This is majorly because of the abnormal inflammatory response that happens in the affected area. Psoriatic arthritis patients usually experience increased systemic inflammations. Therefore, this increased inflammation resulting from injury triggers inflammation to other parts, including the joints.
In conclusion, these are some top things that make psoriatic arthritis worse. Psoriatic arthritis patients should always be keen on their general lifestyles to prevent worsening of their symptoms. Following the guidelines of a medical practitioner is essential, especially the foods to avoid. In most cases, foods play a major role in triggering the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. If you feel like eating your favorite foods that have been restricted, try as much as possible to look for alternative foods that won’t make your symptoms worse.
