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If you have psoriatic arthritis, you may dread winter. In a 2018 survey by the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), 3 out 10 people with psoriatic arthritis reported that winter was their least favorite season.
One reason could be the cold temperatures, which anecdotal reports suggest can trigger psoriatic arthritis flares in some people, says Dee Dee Wu, MD, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Paramus, New Jersey. With a flare, joints affected by psoriatic arthritis become even more tender and stiff than usual.
The winter months can also exacerbate skin symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. This is likely due to less exposure to UVB light (known to be an effective treatment for psoriasis) combined with dry weather and forced heat, which can make skin extra dry and itchy, notes the NPF.
Some things get better with age wine, wisdom, and a worn-in pair of jeans, for example. Unfortunately, your joints are not one of them. In fact, more than 32.5 million American adults are living with osteoarthritis (OA), a.k.a. “wear-and-tear” arthritis. OA happens when cartilage the elastic tissue that connects and protects the ends of bones in a joint thins over time, says Kirk A. Campbell, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Health in New York City. Cartilage can’t repair itself, and the damage can trigger inflammation, pain, and stiffness in the joint, he says. Here’s why it happens, who’s at risk, and more facts about OA everyone should know.
If you’re living with osteoarthritis (OA), you’re in good company. The degenerative joint disease known as “wear and tear” arthritis affects more than 32.5 million American adults. That’s nearly 10 percent of the entire U.S. population.
OA develops when cartilage the elastic tissue that preserves the space between bones in joints. Unlike bone, cartilage can’t naturally regenerate in the body so once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. When enough cartilage wears away in a joint, the bones can start to rub against each other, resulting in pain, inflammation, stiffness, and swelling hallmark symptoms of OA.