Psoriasis Exacerbates the State of Insulin Resistance in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Although psoriasis (PsO) is highly associated with insulin resistance (IR), the role of PsO on activity of insulin secretion or its action in diabetic patients has not been explored.

In-patient data on type 2 diabetes (T2D) with or without PsO from 2016-2019 in our hospital were analyzed. Data for 42 diabetic patients with PsO were compared with that of the control group (T2D only). Blood examinations with reference to the levels of fasting blood glucose, C-peptide, insulin, HbA1c, plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and kidney function were explored. HOMA-IR and HOMA-β models were established to explore IR and pancreatic β-cell function.

HOMA-IR level was significantly higher (P=0.0003<0.05) in patients with PsO compared with the controls. Although the durations of diabetes in patients with PsO were significantly shorter compared with that of patients with diabetes only (P=0.012<0.05), analysis of mean BMI, eGFR, plasma lipids, and lipoprotein showed no significant differences. Analysis of the level of fasting glucose and HOMA-β showed no statistical differences between the two groups. On the other hand, the levels of C-peptide of PsO group were significantly high in both fasting state (P=0.0182<0.05) and after glucose challenge (P=0.0011<0.01).

The findings of this study show that under the same fasting conditions, patients with PsO may have relatively preserved pancreatic β-cell function, and PsO significantly increases IR.