Higher Vitamin D Levels Linked to Reduced Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Psoriasis Patients: Study
Researchers have identified in a new study that increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is linked with lower risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in psoriasis patients. The large cohort study, including 8,947 patients with psoriasis and 178,937 age- and sex-matched controls from the UK Biobank, was conducted to examine the protective effect of serum 25(OH)D against mortality and the risk of CVD in psoriasis patients. The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology by Kaiqing Lin and colleagues.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that has been associated with an elevated risk of systemic illnesses, including CVD. Vitamin D, with its immune-modulatory and cardiovascular functions, has been implicated in protection against diseases. Yet, there has been limited evidence demonstrating the effect of serum 25(OH)D levels on mortality and risk of CVD among psoriasis patients. This research sought to fill this gap in knowledge by examining the relationship between levels of serum 25(OH)D and these health outcomes.
This cohort study employed UK Biobank data comprising 8,947 patients with psoriasis and 178,937 controls matched to them. Baseline measurements of serum 25(OH)D were made, and the incidence of CVD and all-cause mortality was followed up. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were employed to evaluate the associations of serum 25(OH)D concentrations with mortality risk and CVD.
Key Findings
• Among patients with psoriasis, patients with the highest serum levels of 25(OH)D (≥50 nmol/L) had a 46% reduced risk of all-cause mortality (HR 0.54) and a 22% reduced risk of new-onset CVD (HR 0.78) relative to those with the lowest levels of vitamin D (<25 nmol/L).
• Psoriasis patients who had serum 25(OH)D levels ≥50 nmol/L did not have an increased risk of mortality or new CVD events relative to matched controls.
Increased serum 25(OH)D concentrations were also linked with decreased risks for all-cause mortality and CVD in patients with psoriasis.These findings bring to light the importance of maintaining proper levels of vitamin D to promote better health in patients with such conditions. Further research is needed to determine why there is such a protective effect and whether supplementation with vitamin D would result in further improvement in patients with psoriasis.
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