Is plaque psoriasis associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness compared to healthy volunteers?
Psoriasis is associated with increased subclinical atherosclerosis as measured by CIMT, with higher risk observed in patients with longer disease duration and a history of smoking.
Background: Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease with a chronic course that is not limited to the skin. Atherosclerosis can cause serious cardiovascular events such as cerebrovascular stroke and myocardial infarction, which can result in death. This study aimed to examine the atherosclerosis risk in psoriasis patients by measuring the carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), an important marker of atherosclerosis. Methods: The study included 70 plaque psoriasis patients (41 male and 29 female) and 50 healthy volunteers (30 male and 20 female) between the ages of 18 and 65, from the Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine Department of Dermatology who did not use any systemic treatment in the previous 6 months. Clinical parameters were recorded. The presence of subclinical atherosclerosis was investigated by measuring carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). CIMT was measured manually by the same cardiologist using B-mode ultrasonography. Results: The median value of the CIMT measured individuals in the patient group was 0.8 mm (min: 0.5-max:1.4), and individuals in the control group was 0.6 mm (min: 0.4-max: 0.95). CIMT value in the patient group was statistically significantly higher than in the control group (p< 0.001). A statistically significant relationship was found between age, body mass index, cigarette use, waist and hip circumference, HBA1C, total cholesterol, triglycerides, duration. In multivariate linear regression analysis, cigarette use (p = 0.001) and disease duration (p = 0.024) remained significant, while the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) showed a trend toward significance (p = 0.071). Conclusion: Our study revealed that CIMT value increases in psoriasis patients. It can be said that this increase in CIMT is more serious in the presence of PASI, disease duration and smoking. In conclusion, psoriasis patients—especially those who smoke and those with a longer disease duration—should be regularly investigated and followed up for atherosclerosis. Keywords: psoriasis, atherosclerosis, carotid intima media thickness
Celik et al. (Thu,) studied this question.