Cardiovascular Risk in Psoriasis: Current State of the Art

Area of Science:

• Immunodermatology
• Cardiology
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Psoriasis (Pso) is a chronic immune-mediated skin disease with significant comorbidities.
• Growing evidence links Pso to Cardiovascular (CV) disorders, but key questions remain unanswered.
• Uncertainties include Pso as an independent CV risk factor and the impact of disease severity and duration on CV damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address unresolved questions regarding the association between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease.
• To elucidate the role of psoriasis severity, duration, and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in CV risk.
• To identify reliable parameters for stratifying CV risk in psoriatic patients and assess the impact of early dermatosis treatment on CV risk.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of updated data.
• Analysis of studies investigating the link between Pso and CV disorders.
• Synthesis of evidence on clinical, laboratory, and instrumental parameters for CV risk stratification.

Main Results:

• Psoriasis is increasingly recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events.
• Disease severity, duration, and the presence of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) significantly influence CV morbidity and mortality.
• Reliable clinical and laboratory markers are being identified to better stratify CV risk in psoriatic patients.

Conclusions:

• Psoriasis is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, necessitating integrated patient management.
• Understanding the impact of disease characteristics and comorbidities like PsA is crucial for CV risk assessment.
• Early treatment of psoriasis may play a role in mitigating long-term cardiovascular risk, warranting further investigation.