Psoriasis and the Risk for Major Cardiovascular Events

Psoriasis is associated with other cardiovascular disease risk factors, but researchers concluded the disease itself does not increase risk.

In 2006, researchers suggested that psoriasis was a risk factor for myocardial infarction and other atherosclerotic disease. Subsequent investigators questioned whether psoriasis was an independent risk factor or merely associated via such comorbidities as obesity, hyperlipidemia, smoking, diabetes, and hypertension.

These authors used a large database to study 48,523 patients with psoriasis and 208,157 matched controls, who were followed until they had a first major cardiovascular (CV) event (myocardial infarction, stroke, unstable angina, or acute coronary syndrome), transferred out of the practice, or died, or until the study ended (average follow-up, 5.2 years).

Over the study period, 1257 psoriasis patients (2.59%) and 4784 controls (2.3…

Reviewing Author

Jeffrey P. Callen, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board XOMA; Eli Lilly; Celgene

Equity Various trust accounts

Editorial boards JAMA Dermatology; UpToDate

Leadership positions in professional societies Association of Professors of Dermatology (President-Elect)