Hypertension Associated with Psoriasis Is Difficult to Treat

Patients with psoriasis, particularly those with moderate to severe psoriasis, have an increased prevalence of hypertension, often as part of the metabolic syndrome. Until now, we have not known whether hypertension associated with psoriasis is more difficult to treat.

In this case-control study, 835 patients with hypertension and psoriasis were matched with 2418 hypertensive but nonpsoriatic patients. The investigators evaluated the number of antihypertensive agents used by each patient as a surrogate marker for difficult-to-treat hypertension. They found that multiple-antihypertensive-drug regimens were significantly more common among the hypertension-plus-psoriasis group than in the hypertension-alone group. This finding was consistent in…