Psoriasis Is Related to Weight Gain in Women

Another piece of the psoriasis and obesity puzzle falls into place.

Previous studies suggest that patients with psoriasis have higher frequencies of overweight, the metabolic syndrome, and myocardial infarction than the general population. Beyond these epidemiologic studies, prospective observations have been lacking. Researchers examined data linking weight gain and incident psoriasis in 78,626 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II, a large study whose measures have been repeatedly validated.

They found an association between psoriasis incidence and self-reported changes in body-mass index (BMI), weight since age 18, waist circumference, hip circumference, and hip-waist ratio over a period of 14 years. During the study period, 892 newly diagnosed cases of psoriasis occurred. The relative risk for receiving…

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)