Golfer Phil Mickelson has openly talked about his experience with psoriatic arthritis. It's a type of arthritis unlike the others and can fuse joints, destroy bones, or both!
Denise La Delia thought psoriasis was bad enough, then psoriatic arthritis appeared on the scene. She says it’s "a lot of pain, there's a lot of swelling. My hands used to be real hot. So, I'd be running them under cold water, taking cold baths because it was everywhere."
La Delia manages to keep up with her career in spite of the joint disease. It's a condition that affects about a quarter of all psoriasis patients. According to Dr. Christopher Ritchlin, "most of the patients develop psoriasis before the onset of arthritis. So, often times, there's a lag of 10 years between the onset of skin and joint disease."
Like rheumatoid arthritis, this condition destroys bone. In addition, it sets off exaggerated bone growth.
