5Psoriatic Spondylitis Diagnosis
To diagnose psoriatic spondylitis, a doctor will often start with a physical exam and ask some questions regarding your health condition, existing medical issues, family history of the disease, and symptoms. Based on the information, they may decide to do certain tests to identify whether you have psoriatic spondylitis or not. Firstly, they need to rule out other common triggers of back pain and other forms of arthritis. This step is important for deciding a proper treatment plan. In addition, some imaging tests can be used, such as CT scans, ultrasounds, MRI scans, or X-rays, to check for any signs of psoriasis in the spine or bones. Blood tests may also be helpful as people with the disease tend to have lower levels of red blood cells and high inflammation levels in the blood. [6]
