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Published on: January 15, 2022
Chronic plaque psoriasis is associated with increased arterial stiffness
Paolo Gisondi1, Francesco Fantin, Micol Del Giglio
1Section of Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Biomedical and Surgical Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. paolo.gisondi@univr.it
Patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis exhibit increased arterial stiffness, a cardiovascular risk factor. Longer psoriasis duration correlates with this stiffness, suggesting a link between skin disease and vascular health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Dermatology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis is linked to higher rates of cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis.
- Arterial stiffness, a marker of endothelial dysfunction, independently predicts cardiovascular events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if chronic plaque psoriasis is associated with elevated arterial stiffness.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study compared 39 adult patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis to 38 controls with other skin conditions.
- Arterial stiffness was measured using carotid-femoral and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (PWVcf, PWVcr).
Main Results:
- Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWVcf) was significantly higher in psoriasis patients (8.88 +/- 1.96 m/s) versus controls (7.57 +/- 1.34 m/s; p = 0.001).
- This difference remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, smoking, hypertension, and BMI (p = 0.03).
- A positive correlation was observed between PWVcf and psoriasis duration (r = 0.58; p = 0.0001), but not disease severity.
Conclusions:
- Moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis may be independently associated with increased arterial stiffness.
- Psoriasis duration is a potential risk factor for developing arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis.
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