Although it isn’t easy to predict whether patients with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis, some potential risk factors have been identified, including:[1]
- Corticosteroid use within 2 years of first developing psoriasis
- Pregnancy within 2 years prior to psoriasis onset[2]
- Trauma that required medical care[3]
- Vaccination against rubella[3]
- Smoking
- Infections requiring hospitalization
- Heavy drinking
- Family history of psoriatic arthritis
- Obesity
It is important to note that the above risk-associations were mostly found through case-control (observational) studies, so it isn’t yet clear whether they play a causative role in developing the disease.