Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis. It usually affects people who have psoriasis or a biological family history of psoriasis. Arthritis is a common disorder that affects your joints. It causes pain and inflammation in and around your joints. Psoriasis causes inflammation in your skin. Psoriasis rashes are patches of discolored skin covered with scales. These thick, scaly areas are called plaques. …

Reactive arthritis (Reiter’s syndrome) is a rare, temporary form of inflammatory arthritis that’s triggered by a bacterial infection. It causes pain and stiffness in your joints, especially in your lower body. It can also cause symptoms in other body tissues, like your eyes and skin, as well as whole-body symptoms like fatigue. But unlike most types of arthritis, it’s not a lifelong condition, and it usually …

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic (ongoing) autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the lining of your joints (synovium). It most commonly affects the joints in your fingers, hands, wrists, knees, ankles, feet and toes. RA usually occurs in the same joints on both sides of your body, which makes it different from some other types of arthritis. Uncontrolled inflammation damages cartilage, which …

Septic arthritis (also known as infectious arthritis) happens when an infection spreads to one or more of your joints and causes inflammation. The inflammation is in the surface of the cartilage (a type of connective tissue) that lines your joints and the synovial fluid that lubricates your joints. Bacteria, a virus or fungus may cause the infection, which usually comes …

Arthritis in your thumb occurs when the protective cartilage cushioning your thumb joints starts to wear out and deteriorate. This type of arthritis is called osteoarthritis. In your thumb, osteoarthritis develops most often in the basal joint at the base of your thumb. This is also called your thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint. The CMC joint is located near your wrist at the …

Aphasia is a disorder that affects how you communicate and understand language. It makes it difficult to: Talk. Listen. Read. Write. You might think about the challenges you’d face trying to communicate when traveling to another country. But what if the language you use every day suddenly becomes foreign? You might not be able to ask for a glass of …

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurological disorder that affects a person’s ability to speak and communicate. Aphasia is a language disorder that results from damage to key parts of your brain that are responsible for understanding or producing speech and/or writing. When the aphasia is from a brain disease that gets worse over time (progressive neurodegenerative disease), healthcare providers call it …

Canker sores — or aphthous ulcers — are small, shallow ulcers that occur in the lining of your mouth. A canker sore starts as a white or yellowish mouth sore with a red border. They’re usually very small (less than 1 millimeter) but may grow to 1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter. You can get canker sores on your tongue, gums, …

Broken heart syndrome is a short-term condition where some of your heart muscle weakens rapidly. This typically happens after a sudden physical or emotional stressor. When part of your heart isn’t working well, the other parts may work harder. Weak heart muscle can disrupt your heart’s supply of blood and its ability to pump. If your heart isn’t pumping well, that harms your whole …

Aplastic anemia is a rare but serious blood disorder. It happens when your bone marrow can’t make enough blood cells and platelets. People with aplastic anemia have an increased risk of serious infections, bleeding issues, heart issues and other complications. There are treatments to manage aplastic anemia symptoms, but a stem cell transplantation is the only cure. How common is this condition? Each year, 300 to …