Even if you don't have psoriasis, carrying a clinically significant number of excess pounds may predispose you to psoriatic arthritis. That's the finding of a study done by Abrar A. Qureshi, MD and colleagues from Harvard. The team published their research in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of the disease are joint pain, stiffness and swelling. "No cure for psoriatic arthritis exists, so the focus is on controlling symptoms and preventing damage to your joints," the Mayo Clinic cite notes, and adds that without treatment, psoriatic arthritis may be disabling.
An editorial accompanying the Qureshi's paper stated that obesity leads to "increased inflammatory cytokines and changes in related molecules such as leptin and adiponectin, which may contribute to the development of multiple disturbances in predisposed individuals."
Sorry to give you such scary news. However if you're overweight and haven't yet contracted psoriatic arthritis, maybe this will be just the motivation you need to hie thee to a Weight Watchers meeting! As the authors of the study wrote, "The effect of obesity on psoriatic arthritis goes beyond that on psoriasis skin phenotypes alone. The implication of the observations may be substantial as obesity is a modifiable factor that is becoming increasingly prevalent."
