Prompt treatment can relieve pain and inflammation and possibly help prevent joint destruction if severe arthritis is present. Psoriatic arthritis is classified as different from other arthritic diseases. Anyone can develop psoriasis, though heredity seems to play a role. There is a family association in one out of three cases. Psoriasis affects about 2 percent of the U.S. population and is less common in African-Americans and Asians.
Psoriasis appears in men and women in equal number.
There are no personality types that have been identified as being more likely to develop psoriasis. It can appear at any age, but appears most often between the ages of 15 and 35. In approximately 10-15 percent of individuals with psoriasis, the disease first appears before the age of ten. The disease is also reported in infants. The cause of psoriasis is unknown.