[Management of vascular risk in patients with psoriasis in primary care]

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with an increase in vascular risk, both for the higher prevalence of traditional risk factors as for the systemic inflammatory milieu. This risk is particularly increased in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Several studies have highlighted underdiagnosis and suboptimal control of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes and obesity in this population. Early and structured screening allows identification of patients with a high vascular risk eligible for intervention, being primary care the optimal area due to its accessibility and experience in cardiovascular prevention. Nevertheless, higher awareness about the association between psoriasis and vascular risk among physicians is required, as well as an adaptation of existing screening strategies to the individual characteristics of each patient, especially among cases with a higher inflammatory load. A proactive approach could potentially improve quality of life and life expectancy among patients with psoriasis.