ISLAMABAD: A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Padova in Italy has highlighted the potential connection between psoriasis, a chronic systemic immune-mediated inflammatory disease, and an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. While psoriasis impacts 1-3 percent of the global population, heart attacks and strokes, categorized under cardiovascular diseases, remain the leading causes of death worldwide.
The study involved 503 psoriasis patients without clinical cardiovascular disease, who underwent transthoracic doppler echocardiography to assess coronary microcirculation. The researchers discovered a high prevalence of coronary microvascular dysfunction in over 30 percent of asymptomatic patients.
Lead investigator of the study, Stefano Piaserico from the Dermatology Unit, Department of Medicine, emphasized, “Previous studies have shown that patients with severe psoriasis have an increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, there has been limited research on the specific mechanisms underlying this increased risk, particularly concerning coronary microvascular dysfunction.”
Study Linkage Between Psoriasis Severity and Cardiovascular Disease
The study findings, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, indicated that psoriasis severity, evaluated through the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score, and the duration of the disease are independently associated with lower coronary flow reserve (CFR), in addition to the presence of psoriatic arthritis.
Interestingly, traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as tobacco use, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were not independently associated with reduced CFR in patients with severe psoriasis.
“We should diagnose and actively search for microvascular dysfunction in patients with psoriasis, as this population is at particularly high risk,” remarked Piaserico. He added, “We might hypothesize that an early and effective treatment of psoriasis would restore the dysfunction and eventually prevent the future risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure associated with it.”
