Cardiovascular risk in psoriatic patients Relation to disease activity

Abstract

Background: Increased cardiovascular risk and subclinical atherosclerosis are linked to psoriatic illness. For the assessment of subclinical atherosclerosis (SA), carotid ultrasonography is helpful. Aim of the work: Determining the carotid intimal thickness (IMT) in individuals with psoriasis (PsO) who do not have cardiac disease. Patients and methods: Thirty healthy sex and age-matched controls and thirty PsO cases were included in this investigation. The carotid IMT was evaluated. SA was characterized by the presence of plaque and/or IMT >0.9 mm. The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was used to measure the disease activity in psoriasis. Body mass index, blood pressure, waist circumference, and lipid profile estimation were performed on all patients and controls. Results: PsO patients were 43.46 ± 13.94 years old on average, with 43.3% of them being female. IMT was 0.47±0.06 mm in control and in PsO (p<0.0001). In PsO, CIMT was substantially correlated with age (p<0.0001), disease duration (p=0.001), and PASI (p=0.001). Conclusions: In psoriatic disease, subclinical atherosclerosis has been connected to both disease activity and severity.