Patients with Psoriasis at Risk for Metabolic Syndrome

Individuals with psoriasis have a high prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, according to an article posted on the Archives of Dermatology website. The article titled “Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome in Psoriasis: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2006” will appear in the April 2011 print issue of Archives of Dermatology.

According to a news release about the article, individual features of the metabolic syndrome include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high total cholesterol and triglycerides. Additional background information notes that while past studies have suggested a link between psoriasis and individual components of the metabolic syndrome, there is little data available regarding the association between psoriasis and the metabolic syndrome as a whole.

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Thorvardur Jon Love, MD, of Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland, and colleagues, examined the association between psoriasis and the metabolic syndrome. The study included 6,549 individuals, and the mean (average) age of participants was 39, half were men and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 28.

Overall, 40% of individuals with psoriasis also had features of the metabolic syndrome, compared with 23% among controls. The most common feature of the metabolic syndrome among individuals with psoriasis was abdominal obesity (63%), followed by high triglyceride levels (44%) and low levels (34%) of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High triglyceride levels are defined as at or above 150 milligrams per deciliter, and low HDL levels are defined as less than 40 milligrams per deciliter in men and less than 50 milligrams per deciliter in women. No elements of the metabolic syndrome were found in 28% of individuals without psoriasis compared with 13% of those with psoriasis.

"These findings from a nationally representative sample of US adults show a doubling in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among patients with psoriasis independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity and C-reactive protein levels," the authors wrote. "Given its associated serious complications, this comorbidity needs to be recognized and taken into account when treating individuals with psoriasis," they conclude.

Source: JAMA/Archives