Patients with psoriasis may be up to 50% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, with increased risk based on skin severity, according to a review paper published March 29 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Michael S. Garshick, MD, MS, et al., discuss the identification and management of cardiovascular risk in patients with psoriasis, areas of uncertainty, and future directions for research and therapies. Specifically, the review paper examines the proposed link between psoriasis and atherosclerosis; how traditional cardiovascular risk factors contribute to cardiovascular disease in individuals with psoriasis; cardiovascular risk screening and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk; psoriatic arthritis; treatment of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in psoriasis patients; and targeting inflammation in psoriasis.

According to the paper, psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, and the immune response has been linked to vascular inflammation and development of atherosclerosis. The review paper notes that most major medical society guidelines, including those from the ACC, recommend that psoriasis diagnosis be incorporated into cardiovascular risk prediction and prevention strategies.

According to the authors, the "bulk of epidemiological and clinical-translational data suggest a strong contribution of psoriasis" to cardiovascular disease. They suggest an "aggressive approach to both lifestyle and medication therapy," along with increased patient and provider awareness of the link between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease and randomized clinical trials investigating the benefit of cardiovascular prevention strategies, including targeting inflammation to reduce cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients.

Clinical Topics: Cardiovascular Care Team

Keywords: Arthritis, Psoriatic, Cardiovascular Diseases, Uncertainty, Risk Factors, Psoriasis, Skin, Inflammation, Atherosclerosis, Biomarkers, Life Style, Cardiology, Immunity

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