Psoriasis strikes back! Epicardial adipose tissue: another contributor to the higher cardiovascular risk in psoriasis

For many years psoriasis was considered an inflammatory condition restricted to the skin. However, nowadays it is considered an immune-mediated, systemic inflammatory condition associated with numerous medical comorbidities, particularly cardiometabolic diseases, and overall cardiovascular mortality. Several studies have suggested that psoriasis may be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis, indicating that psoriasis itself poses an intrinsic risk for cardiovascular disease, probably due to the disease's inflammatory burden. However, other causes beyond systemic inflammation and traditional cardiovascular risk factors may be implicated in cardiovascular disease in psoriasis. Recently, epicardial adipose tissue, an emerging cardiovascular risk factor, has been shown to be increased in psoriasis patients and to be associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, providing another possible link between psoriasis and atherosclerosis. The reason for the increase in epicardial adipose tissue in patients with psoriasis is unknown, but it is probably multifactorial, with genetic, immune-mediated and behavioral factors having a role. Thus, along with the increased prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors and systemic inflammation in psoriasis, epicardial adipose tissue is probably another important contributor to the higher cardiovascular risk observed in psoriasis.