Publication:

A hospital based study to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among patients of chronic plaque psoriasis

Background Psoriasis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease associated with several cardiometabolic co morbidities such as obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension, and with clinically significant increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular mortality.

Methods The study group included 110 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and an equally sized age and sex matched control group. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors studied included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, dyslipidemia, smoking, heavy alcohol use and family history of CVD.

Results Psoriatic patients had a significantly higher prevalence of alcohol use (p=0.014), current smokers (p= 0.023), impaired fasting glucose (p=0.032), central obesity based on waist circumference (p=0.008), central obesity based on waist hip ratio (p=0.020) and dyslipidemia (p=0.000).

Conclusions Psoriasis patients have a unfavourable cardiovascular risk profile. Therefore these patients should undergo screening and treatment of various modifiable risk factors to reduce morbidity and mortality.