Looking into the Pathogenesis of Psoriatic Arthritis

In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (March 15, 2003), scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have identified certain factors that cause bone damage in people with psoriatic arthritis. The study included 36 participants, 24 people with pso-riatic arthritis and 12 healthy people.

Researchers analyzed blood samples and examined cells from the synovium?the joint lining that normally nourishes a joint but turns invasive and destructive in patients with psori-atic arthritis?and found that people with psoriatic arthritis have a higher amount of a type of cell that specializes in dissolving bone. Furthermore, their joints have greater amounts of a protein that persuades these bone-dissolving cells to settle into joints and cause damage.