FRIDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- People with the painful
skin condition psoriasis may be at increased risk for health
problems that affect the heart, an expert says.
Excessive inflammation is a major feature of psoriasis. Chronic
inflammation is also a characteristic of insulin resistance,
obesity, abnormal cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease,
said Dr. Joel Gelfand, an assistant professor of dermatology and
epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of
Medicine in Philadelphia.
Gelfand noted that recent studies have linked these serious
medical conditions with psoriasis and it's important for psoriasis
patients -- particularly those with severe psoriasis -- to monitor
themselves for signs of these diseases.
The recent studies included research on more than 4,000 patients
that found that the more surface area of skin affected by
psoriasis, the more likely a patient is to have metabolic syndrome,
which is a cluster of conditions -- obesity, high blood pressure,
insulin resistance and elevated triglyceride levels -- associated
with increased risk of heart disease.
Another study found that patients with severe psoriasis die
about five years earlier than those who don't have the disease, and
about 50 percent of the increased risk of death is due to
cardiovascular disease, Gelfand said in a news release from the
American Academy of Dermatology. Other studies have linked severe
psoriasis to increased risk of major cardiovascular events, such as
heart attack.
Gelfand also explained in the news release that other research
has found that psoriasis patients have changes in cholesterol that
can increase the risk of hardening of the arteries, which can lead
to heart attack.
The report was slated for presentation Friday at the American
Academy of Dermatology's annual meeting in San Diego. The data and
conclusions of research presented at medical meetings should be
viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed
journal.
Although the report indicates an association between psoriasis
and cardiovascular risks, it did not prove a cause-and-effect
relationship.
"Future research is necessary to better determine how skin-disease severity affects the risk of developing insulin resistance, obesity, abnormal cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease, and whether successful treatment of psoriasis alters these risks," Gelfand said in the news release.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about
psoriasis.