Is it possible to have psoriatic arthritis and test negative for arthritis?

Yes: Actually psoriatic arthritis does not have any specific blood testing or antibodies, different to rheumatoid arthritis where we usually have 2 antibodies that help with the diagnosis. The most important fact is to have psoriasis, a history of psoriasis or a 1st degree family member with psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis is a clinical diagnosis and does not rely much on blood work.

Psoriatic arthritis: Hi Sharon, Psoriatic arthritis is under the umbrella of spondylo-arthritis. This group of arthritis has a genetic test for Human Leukocyte Antigen B27 (HLA B27). A positive test means HLA-B27 is present. About 50% of patients with psoriatic arthritis test positive for HLA B27, therefore a negative test does not exclude the diagnosis. I hope that is helpful. Thank you, Nisha