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Updated: May 7, 2026
Measuring Psoriasis Severity at Home
Published on: March 1, 2024
Risk factors for comorbidities in Czech psoriatic patients: results of a hospital-based case-control study
Jana Votrubova1, Katerina Juzlova, Zdenek Smerhovsky
1Department of Dermatovenereology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
Insights
Psoriasis patients show higher risks for hypertension, obesity, and high blood sugar, indicating increased cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disease potential. Early detection and prevention are crucial for managing these comorbidities in psoriasis care.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Internal Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Psoriasis is linked to comorbidities like metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, and gastrointestinal diseases.
- Existing research on these associations is variable and inconclusive.
- A study in Czech psoriatic patients was needed to identify specific risk factors and early disease stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify risk factors and early stages of selected comorbidities in Czech psoriatic patients.
- To investigate associations between psoriasis and metabolic, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal parameters.
- To provide data for improved secondary prevention strategies in psoriasis management.
Main Methods:
- A hospital-based case-control study comparing 131 psoriasis patients with 267 controls.
- Analysis of demographic, anthropometric, and metabolic indicators.
- Assessment of specific antibodies (e.g., gliadine IgA) and non-specific gastrointestinal signs using statistical tests and logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Psoriasis patients exhibited significantly higher blood pressure, waist circumference, weight, BMI, leukocytes, and gliadine IgA levels (P<0.05).
- Lower HDL cholesterol levels were observed in psoriasis patients.
- Diastolic blood pressure, leukocyte count, and glycemia were significant predictors of psoriasis in the logistic model (P≤0.001).
Conclusions:
- Psoriasis is significantly associated with hypertension, higher BMI, and decreased HDL cholesterol, increasing cardiovascular disease risk.
- Elevated gliadine IgA antibodies suggest a link to celiac disease, while higher leukocytes may indicate gastrointestinal inflammation.
- These findings underscore the need for proactive secondary prevention of associated diseases in psoriatic patients.
Background:
Psoriasis is now known to be associated with multiple other diseases/comorbidities - including the metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and gastrointestinal diseases which are all significantly higher in psoriasis patients. Research results however are highly variable and the conclusions are ambiguous. As no similar study has been performed to date in Czech psoriatic patients, this study aimed at identifying risk factors and early stages of selected diseases/comorbidities in the patients.
Methods And Results:
The study was designed as a hospital-based case-control study. 131 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis formed the cases and 267 patients with other skin disorders formed the controls. A comparison was made of basic demographic and anthropometric indicators, metabolic parameters, the presence of specific antibodies (ASCA, AEP, p-ANCA, AGC, EMA, ARA, t-TG, AGA) and non-specific signs of gastrointestinal diseases. The chi squared, MWU tests and binary logistical model were used to evaluate the data. The results showed significant differences (P<0.05) for the following parameters: blood pressure, waist circumference, weight, BMI values, leucocytes values, HDL cholesterol level, glycemia and gliadine antibody IgA level. All differences were to the detriment of psoriasis patients. In the binary logistical model the following parameters were associated with psoriasis: diastolic blood pressure, leucocyte value and glycemia. For all variables included in the logistical model P≤0.001.
Conclusions:
The results were coherent and consistent with existing data. They indicate that psoriasis is interconnected with hypertension, higher BMI and a decreased level of HDL cholesterol. These parameters have been clearly demonstrated as risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Higher levels of gliadine IgA antibodies are one of the diagnostic markers of celiac disease. Higher values of leukocytes may be interpreted as a nonspecific indicator of gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases. The associations between psoriasis and diastolic blood pressure, BMI value and glycemia are statistically significant in the binary logistic regression model. Care for psoriatic patients should focus especially on secondary prevention of predisposing diseases.
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