Psoriasis patients at increased risk of metabolic syndrome, study finds

China: Patients with psoriasis are at an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), states the review findings published in The Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. The systematic review considered the prevalence of this association on a global scale. Findings suggest that screening for the metabolic disease should be considered for psoriasis patients.

Globally, Psoriasis is a serious problem affecting people of all ages and in all countries. Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disease that affects the skin and Metabolic syndrome is a set of risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing heart disease, diabetes, stroke, or other health issues. Previous reports have suggested some common links and associations between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the most common comorbidity of psoriasis. The severity of psoriasis may influence the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Liu Liu, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China, and his team performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the global prevalence of MetS among patients with psoriasis.

Researchers searched five databases from inception through September 2021 and used the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) tools to assess observational study quality. the data analysis was performed using Stata SE 15.1. Interstudy heterogeneity was evaluated using Subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's and Begg's linear tests. Finally, 45 studies were included in the analysis.