Psoriasis Patients at Increased Risk for Heart Attack

A new study has found that psoriasis is an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI), and this risk is greatest in young patients with severe psoriasis.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Philadelphia, USA) conducted a perspective population-based cohort study to determine the risk of heart attack in patients with psoriasis when controlling for major cardiovascular risk factors. The study data were collected from 1988-2002 by more than 500 general practitioners in the United Kingdom. The study population consisted of psoriasis patients aged 20-90, of whom 127,139 were defined as having mild psoriasis and 3,831 were defined as having severe psoriasis. Adjustments were made for hypertension, diabetes, history of heart attack, hyperlipidemia, age, sex, smoking, and body mass index (BMI). Each patient was matched to up to five control subjects who did not have psoriasis.

The study revealed that the incidence of heart attack was higher in patients with severe psoriasis (5.13 MIs per 1,000 person-years) and mild psoriasis (4.04 MIs per 1,000 person-years) compared with control patients (3.58 MIs per 1,000 person-years). Younger patients with severe psoriasis had the highest relative risk of heart attack. For example, a 40-year-old patient with severe psoriasis had more than double the risk of MI. The authors said that the magnitude of association between severe psoriasis and MI in those less than 50 years of age is similar to the magnitude of association for other major cardiac risk factors. The results of the study appear in the October 11, 2006, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

"Several hospital-based studies have indicated that psoriasis is associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, including MI,” said Joel M. Gelfand, M.D., M.S, an assistant professor of dermatology. "However, these studies did not control for any associated risk factors for MI.”

Psoriasis is a common, chronic immune-mediated disease that affects about 2-3% of the population. The chronic, non-contagious disease occurs when the growth of new skin cells rapidly accelerates, resulting in thick, red, scaly, inflamed patches on the skin surface. There is currently no cure for psoriasis, but many treatment options are available.



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