Concomitant Sleep Disorders Significantly Increase the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Psoriasis

The increased rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with psoriasis are not adequately explained by traditional risk factors. Whether concomitant sleep disorders (SDs) modify the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with psoriasis remains unknown.

Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), we conducted a cohort study to investigate the association between concomitant SDs and CVD risk in patients with psoriasis. Data from 99,628 adults who received a psoriasis diagnosis during the period from 2004 to 2010 were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis models were used to compare the risks of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke between patients with and without SDs.

Psoriasis patients with a concomitant SD had significantly higher risks of IHD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.28) and stroke (aHR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.16-1.33) as compared with psoriasis patients without SDs. All psoriasis patient subgroups, including those with mild and severe psoriasis and those with and without arthritis, had increased HRs for IHD and stroke. The increases in IHD and stroke risks conferred by SDs were proportional to the dose of hypnotics used. The effect of SDs on the risks of IHD and stroke was greater in young adults than in middle-aged and older adults.

The risks of IHD and stroke were higher for psoriasis patients with SDs than for those without SDs. Clinicians should carefully evaluate CVD risk, particularly in young patients with psoriasis.