Serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity in patients with psoriasis

Serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity is frequently increased in patients with active sarcoidosis. In spite of a reported association between sarcoidosis and psoriasis, serum angiotensin converting enzyme activities have not been reported for patients with psoriasis. We found the mean (SD) angiotensin-converting enzyme activity for 51 healthy subjects was 18.6 (5.8) kU/l, but for 52 patients with psoriasis without coexisting sarcoidosis, it was 28.3 (6.7) kU/l. There is a significant difference between these means (p less than 0.01). Forty-two percent (22/52) of the psoriasis patients had an increased serum angiotensin converting activity. Other diseases sometimes associated with an increased serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity were excluded as possible causes of a elevated activity in our patients with psoriasis. We conclude that almost half of the patients with psoriasis will have an elevated serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity, even when coexisting sarcoidosis is absent.