Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Disease: epidemiological studies

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Rheumatology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Psoriasis (PS) and atherosclerosis are chronic inflammatory diseases with shared pathways.
• Previous studies suggest PS may be an independent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor, but results have been conflicting.
• Limited knowledge exists on the interaction between PS and atrial fibrillation (AF), venous thromboembolism (VTE), and post-myocardial infarction (MI) prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the risk of atherothrombotic events in PS patients compared to diabetes mellitus (DM) patients.
• To investigate the risk of AF and ischemic stroke in PS patients.
• To assess the risk of VTE and the prognosis after first-time MI in PS patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Danish nationwide registries to identify approximately 40,000 PS patients (1997-2006).
• Compared cardiovascular risk, AF, ischemic stroke, VTE, and post-MI prognosis between PS patients, DM patients, and the general population.
• Employed rate ratios (RRs) and hazard ratios (HRs) to quantify risks.

Main Results:

• PS patients exhibited increased risk for MI, stroke, revascularization, cardiovascular death, and composite endpoints (RR 1.20-1.59).
• A significant increase in AF and ischemic stroke risk (up to 2.5-fold) was observed in PS patients.
• VTE risk was elevated in PS patients (RR 1.35-2.06), and post-MI prognosis was poorer (HR 1.26).

Conclusions:

• PS is associated with a heightened risk of atherothrombotic events, comparable to DM in severe cases.
• PS is identified as a potential risk factor for AF and VTE.
• PS patients face adverse outcomes post-MI, supporting PS as an independent CVD risk factor and advocating for targeted prevention.