Association between Homocysteine Levels and Psoriasis: A Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Clinical Chemistry

Background:

• Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease linked to increased cardiovascular disease risk.
• Elevated homocysteine (Hcy) levels are recognized biomarkers for cardiovascular risk.
• Previous studies on the association between psoriasis and Hcy levels have yielded inconclusive results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to clarify the relationship between psoriasis and homocysteine levels.
• To investigate whether psoriasis is associated with altered plasma homocysteine concentrations.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of five major scientific databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science) was performed.
• 16 studies directly measuring plasma homocysteine levels in psoriasis patients were identified from 307 publications.
• A meta-analysis was conducted on data from 2,091 subjects.

Main Results:

• Psoriasis patients exhibited significantly higher homocysteine levels compared to healthy controls (WMD, 3.30; 95% CI, 1.58–5.02).
• Subgroup analysis indicated that patients with higher Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores (PASI >10) showed significantly elevated homocysteine levels (WMD, 4.17; 95% CI, 1.18–7.16).
• Patients with lower PASI scores (PASI ≤10) did not demonstrate a significant difference in homocysteine levels compared to controls (WMD, 0.76; 95% CI, -1.84–3.35).

Conclusions:

• This meta-analysis confirms that psoriasis patients, especially those with severe disease (PASI >10), have significantly elevated homocysteine levels.
• The findings suggest a potential link between psoriasis severity and homocysteine levels.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise association between homocysteine and psoriasis severity.