Psoriasis increases heart attack risk
People with psoriasis may have an elevated risk of heart attacks, researchers report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In recent years, a succession of studies has shown that psoriasis — a chronic, inflammatory skin condition marked by reddish lesions that can become covered with silvery scales — is triggered by an immune system gone awry. It is estimated that the disorder affects 2% to 3% of the U.S. population.
About 150,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. New research reveals how the underlying biology of the disorder is closely associated with that which leads to clogged arteries and heart attacks. The hope is to measure levels of C-reactive protein or CRP, a marker in the blood, to determine risk. An aggressive immune system response, led by turncoat cells and proteins, attacks the skin in psoriasis, causing inflammation.
The patchy skin lesions are a visible sign of that inflammation. Internally, however, there is probably deeper evidence within the walls of the coronary arteries, which become inflamed and obstructed with cellular debris. Using data collected on 600,000 patients in Britain, 127,139 were defined as having mild psoriasis and an additional 3,831 with severe cases, researchers matched each person with psoriasis to as many as five control patients without the condition.
Researchers found that the rate of heart attack was 5.13 per 1,000 patients with severe psoriasis, 4.03 per 1,000 for patients with mild psoriasis, and 3.58 for those without the skin condition. The team is now examining how psoriasis may be linked to metabolic disorders, such as diabetes.
|
