Recent study psoriasis indicates an increased risk of heart attack or stroke

Psoriasis: For psoriasis, take cardiovascular risks into consideration

Many people who have psoriasis are at an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, according to health experts. Patients should therefore take cardiovascular risks into consideration and have their blood pressure and blood lipids checked regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Around two million people in Germany suffer from psoriasis

Over two million Germans suffer from psoriasis. This is one of the chronic inflammatory diseases of the whole body and is not a skin disease alone. It is often associated with serious comorbidities. As a result, sufferers often suffer from rheumatism. In addition, patients with severe psoriasis have a higher risk of developing diabetes. And the risk for cardiovascular diseases is also increased. Therefore, sufferers should definitely make provision.

Many people who suffer from psoriasis are at an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Patients should therefore be aware of cardiovascular risks and take care of a healthy lifestyle. (Image: Farina3000 / fotolia.com)

Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

As the German Society for Rheumatology (DGRh) reports in a recent communication, many people who suffer from psoriasis are at increased risk for a heart attack or stroke.

This is especially true for patients in whom the inflammatory skin disease leads to joint complaints.

The DGRh advises sufferers to have their blood pressure and blood lipids regularly checked by doctors and to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

This is underpinned by a new international study published in the journal "The Journal of Rheumatology".

Disease is not limited to the skin

As the DGRh explains, the silvery scaly, reddish spots on the elbows, knees and hairline of psoriasis are an expression of an inflammatory disease that is not limited to the skin.

According to the experts, five to ten percent of people with psoriasis develop joint problems, a psoriatic arthritis.

"Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, like all other inflammatory rheumatic diseases, pollute the entire body, so those affected should reliably follow the medication prescribed by the doctor," said DGRh President Professor. med. Hanns-Martin Lorenz.

"You can also have a positive impact on your illness through a healthy lifestyle."

In addition, in addition to skin and joint symptoms, people with psoriasis also often develop diseases that are part of the metabolic syndrome: hypertension, lipid metabolism disorders or diabetes mellitus.

Psoriasis patients with joint problems

These cardiovascular risks in psoriasis were also addressed in a recent study by the International Psoriasis and Arthritis Research Team (IPART)..

Lihi Leder of the University of Toronto, Canada, and his colleagues have studied 2,254 patients with psoriasis in North America and Israel, most of them with joint involvement.

Patients with a mean age of 52 have been suffering from psoriasis for more than 20 years, including 14 years with joint pain.

The majority of those affected had other health problems: 75 percent were overweight or obese, of which 54 percent with an unfavorable increase in abdominal circumference.

Forty-five percent of patients had high blood pressure, 49 percent had high blood lipids, and 17 percent were current smokers. In the IPART study, 13.3 percent already had type 2 diabetes, 6.5 percent of the coronary arteries were narrowed.

"Almost half of the patients in their early 60s had a risk of more than ten percent to have a heart attack or stroke within the next ten years," says the expert.

To diagnose comorbidities diagnostically and treat them

"We also observe this risk constellation for a heart attack or stroke among our patients in Germany," explains Professor Lorenz.

In the IPART study, one in three psoriasis patients did not know that their blood lipids were too high, and one in five was unaware of hypertension.

And of the patients who were diagnosed with hypertension, most did not take their medication or did not take it regularly.

"In psoriasis, treating physicians must regularly diagnose and, if necessary, treat possible comorbidities such as hypertension or a lipid metabolism disorder," says Professor Lorenz.

"In addition, it is important to treat psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis optimally anti-inflammatory, to educate those affected by the diseases of the metabolic syndrome and to support them in the prevention."

Qualified specialist care by the rheumatologist is indispensable for this. (Ad)