Severe Psoriasis Increases Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Mehta and colleagues used data from the U.K. General Practice Research Database to identify 3603 patients with severe psoriasis whose records included a code for psoriasis and use of systemic therapies, such as methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate, cyclosporine, acitretin, psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA), or phototherapy. The investigators compared these patients with 5783 individuals without psoriasis for rates of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accidents, and death from cardiovascular disease. Even after adjustments for other risk factors (smoking, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, age, and sex), the presence of severe psoriasis conferred a statistically significant risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs)…