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Psoriasis: The Story Worsens
We have already come a long way from thinking that psoriasis is merely a cutaneous disease caused by a defect in cellular replication; we now...
Psoriasis Patients Have a Higher Risk for Myocardial Infarction
To determine if psoriasis is associated with a higher risk for myocardial infarction (MI), Wu et al (J Dermatolog Treat. doi:10.3109/09546634.2014.952609) performed a retrospective cohort study of 50,865 control patients matched to 10,173 patients with mild psoriasis and 19,205 control patients matched to 3841 patients with severe psoriasis. Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with mild and severe psoriasis had a higher risk for MI compared to matched control patients.
Practice Point: Psoriasis is associated with a higher risk for MI compared to control patients.
>>Read more at Journal of Dermatological Treatment
Screen Children With Psoriasis for Cardiovascular Comorbidities
Most evidence of the cardiovascular effects on psoriasis patients has focused on adults. Torres et al (Eur J Dermatol. 2014;24:229-235) evaluated the prevalence of excess adiposity, cardiovascular risk factors, metabolic syndrome, and lipid profile in children with psoriasis (age range, 5–15 years) compared to a control group. Children with psoriasis had a higher prevalence and greater odds of excess adiposity compared to controls. A higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome also was observed in children with psoriasis compared to controls.
Practice Point: Cardiovascular comorbidities known to be associated with adult psoriasis also are observed in children with psoriasis, warranting the need to screen children with psoriasis and promote healthy lifestyle choices.
>>Read more at European Journal of Dermatology
Psoriasis Patients Have a Greater Risk for Heart Failure
Khalid et al (Eur J Heart Fail. 2014;16:743-748) investigated the risk for new-onset heart failure in a nationwide cohort of psoriasis patients. They found that the overall incidence rates of new-onset heart failure were higher for patients with mild and severe psoriasis. Compared with the reference population, the fully adjusted hazard ratios for new-onset heart failure were increased in patients with mild and severe psoriasis.
Practice Point: Psoriasis may be associated with a disease severity–dependent increased risk for new-onset heart failure.
>>Read more at European Journal of Heart Failure