Who Should Be On Your Psoriatic Arthritis Care Team?
Rheumatic ConditionsPsoriatic Arthritis

Who Should Be On Your Psoriatic Arthritis Care Team?

Who Should Be On Your Psoriatic Arthritis Care Team?
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Published on October 23, 2025
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Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) causes your immune system to attack your joints, but it can also affect many other parts of your body.

 PsA usually comes alongside psoriasis, a similar long-term, inflammatory condition that causes patches of thick, dry, discolored skin.

“It is important to note that psoriasis is a systemic disease, meaning it affects more than one organ system in the body,” says Tanya Kormeili, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Santa Monica, California.

Besides causing typical symptoms, psoriatic conditions can also cause problems with your eyes, mental health, and heart health.

 When you’re living with PsA, you also have a higher risk of health problems like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

 So, you may need to see more than one psoriatic arthritis specialist to help manage the condition and its wide-ranging effects, says Dr. Kormeili.

Rheumatologist

A rheumatologist treats different types of arthritis, including PsA. This type of doctor can help you manage symptoms like joint pain and stiffness.

“The key person in psoriatic arthritis is the rheumatologist for managing the joints and the permanent damage this disease can cause in the system,” says Kormeili. She adds that proper diagnosis and treatment are key to saving joint health.

“[A rheumatologist] should be involved early on to decide on the optimal therapeutic regimen in collaboration with a dermatologist,” says Abhijeet Danve, MBBS, MD, a rheumatologist who specializes in psoriatic arthritis at Yale Medicine in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

Primary Care Provider

Psoriatic arthritis can affect many systems in your body, and your primary care provider (PCP) has an important role in coordinating your healthcare.

 People with PsA have an increased risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, anxiety, and depression, says Dr. Danve.

“PCPs play a central role in screening, monitoring, and managing these conditions through routine assessment of blood pressure, lipid profiles, blood glucose, body weight, and mental health status, as well as providing lifestyle counseling,” says Danve.

So, while your cardiologist can address high blood pressure, they will not also manage your diabetes treatment. Your primary care provider can help discover gaps in your care and make recommendations, so you can be sure all aspects of your health are being addressed.

Dermatologist

Dermatologists are doctors who treat your skin, and they often notice PsA symptoms first. That’s because many people have psoriasis before they develop psoriatic arthritis.

“For patients with both plaque psoriasis on the skin and joint pains, evaluation by a dermatologist is critical,” says Arjun Dupati, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

“There are quite a few therapies that effectively treat both conditions at once, especially biologic medications that target specific proteins inside the body,” says Dr. Dupati. And your dermatologist can often treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis together.

Cardiologist

Psoriatic arthritis causes system-wide inflammation. This can harm your metabolism, create unhealthy levels of cholesterol, and damage cells.

 These factors contribute to heart problems like high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in PsA. For heart disease in particular, PsA comes with a 55 percent increased risk, which can include lack of oxygen to the heart and congestive heart failure.

“I recommend that patients with psoriasis consider meeting with a cardiologist if any blood work suggests lipid dysfunction, blood pressure issues, or concern for coronary artery disease,” says Dupati. A cardiologist can monitor your risk factors and recommend treatments to keep your heart healthy.

Endocrinologist

Inflammation from PsA can also affect how your body handles sugar in your blood, causing metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes, all of which can be managed by an endocrinologist. About 6 to 20 percent of people with PsA develop type 2 diabetes, compared with 2 to 15 percent in the general population.

Complications like these can also contribute to increased risk of heart disease, says Danve. “So having an endocrinologist on the team is very helpful.”

Mental Health Professional

The symptoms of psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis can feel overwhelming, and these conditions can increase the risk of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

 You may deal with stigma, insufficient coping, and low self-esteem. But inflammation from the disease process itself may also trigger mental health issues.

Regular meetings with a mental health specialist can help you manage the pressures that come with PsA. “Having a strong team of people who care about you, from great friends to professionals to self-help books that keep your spirits up, can also be beneficial,” says Kormeili.

Ophthalmologist

About 10 percent of people with PsA develop eye problems.

“Psoriatic arthritis patients may benefit from regular eye exams for eye inflammation, such as uveitis and conjunctivitis,” says Kormeili.

PsA can also cause dry eye, and an eye doctor called an ophthalmologist can recommend treatment for your symptoms.

Podiatrist

Psoriatic arthritis can affect the joints in your feet, which can cause pain and trouble walking.

“If the foot joints are severely affected by psoriatic arthritis, a podiatrist may be called upon to help with mobility and proper foot alignment or orthotics to help the foot joints,” says Kormeili.

Pain and swelling in your feet can have a big influence over your quality of life, but this aspect of PsA treatment can sometimes be neglected.

 If you have symptoms in your feet, you can ask your primary care provider to refer you to a podiatrist.

Additional Care Team Members

Along with physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, you may also benefit from other healthcare professionals who help manage psoriatic arthritis:

  • Physical and occupational therapists can help you stay mobile and manage joint changes as they arise.

  • Pharmacists keep track of your medications to ensure they can be taken safely together. They can also recommend over-the-counter options.

  • Dietitians can recommend food options that decrease inflammation and promote a healthy weight.

The Takeaway

  • Psoriatic arthritis causes joint pain and inflammation. It can also affect other body systems, like your eyes and heart.
  • To manage psoriatic arthritis, you may need to see specialists like a rheumatologist, cardiologist, dermatologist, endocrinologist, ophthalmologist, podiatrist, or mental health professional in addition to your primary care provider.
  • Not everyone with PsA needs to see all these specialists, and your primary care provider can help you decide which will benefit you most.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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Beth Biggee

Beth Biggee, MD

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Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Beth Biggee, MD, is owner and practitioner of Lifestyle and Integrative Rheumatology, a holistic direct specialty care practice in North Andover, Massachusetts. She offers whole-person autoimmune care, lifestyle medicine, and holistic integrative consults.

She has over 20 years of experience in rheumatology and holds board certifications in rheumatology and integrative and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Biggee brings a human-centered approach to wellness rather than focusing solely on diseases.

Biggee graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Canisius College, and graduated magna cum laude and as valedictorian from SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse Medical School. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, her fellowship in rheumatology at Tufts–New England Medical Center, and her training in integrative rheumatology at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.

Following her training, she attained board certification in rheumatology and internal medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine, board certification in integrative medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties, and accreditation as a certified lifestyle medicine physician through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is certified in Helms auricular acupuncture and is currently completing coursework in the Aloha Ayurveda integrative medicine course for physicians.

In prior roles, Biggee was medical director and integrative rheumatologist at Rheumission, a virtual integrative rheumatology practice, and she also provided healthcare wellness consulting for Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, Massachusetts. Biggee taught as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (an affiliate of Columbia University). She was also clinical associate of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and taught Introduction to Clinical Medicine for medical students at Tufts. She was preceptor for the Lawrence General Hospital Family Medicine Residency.

Biggee has published work in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Arthritis & Rheumatology, Current Opinion in Rheumatology, Medicine and Health Rhode Island, and the Field Guide to Internal Medicine.

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Abby McCoy, RN

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Abby McCoy is an experienced registered nurse who has worked with adults and pediatric patients encompassing trauma, orthopedics, home care, transplant, and case management. She is a married mother of four and loves the circus — that is her home! She has family all over the world, and loves to travel as much as possible.

McCoy has written for publications like Remedy Health Media, Sleepopolis, and Expectful. She is passionate about health education and loves using her experience and knowledge in her writing.

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