Psoriasis and Heart Attack Risk

There is new evidence that an extremely common skin condition is associated with an elevated risk for heart attack.

We’re talking about psoriasis, which affects about 2 to 3 percent of the adult population.

As if this condition isn't bad enough--bear in mind, it can be extensive and really affect one’s way of life because of the problems with the skin itself.

But now, there's new evidence it is associated with deadly cardiovascular disease. You know, it's sometimes referred to as the heartbreak of psoriasis. And that couldn’t be farther from the truth, in a literal sense.

New research in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association shows that adults with psoriasis, especially younger individuals, are at an increased risk for heart attack.

Dr. Joel Gelfand, the lead researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, says, "Psoriasis is such a complicated disease; most people that develop the disease earlier in life, in their 20s and 30s, it may be that these folks are the ones who may have the highest risk of developing uh heart attacks related to psoriasis if their disease is severe, as opposed to people who develop psoriasis later on in life."

Understand that psoriasis is a disease of inflammation. And there are inflammatory markers in the blood, like one called c-reactive protein, which are elevated with psoriasis. The fact is, heart disease is also a condition of inflammation, and c-reactive protein can also be elevated with heart blockages.

“So other chronic immune conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, have already been shown to be associated with higher risks of having a heart attack independent of these major cardiovascular risks factors,” instructs Dr. Gelfand.

The authors say the degree of association between severe psoriasis and heart attack in patients younger than 50 is similar to the magnitude of association for other major cardiac risk factors.

The bad news for Ernie Bickford, who is 72 years old, is that he has had a bad case of psoriasis for eight years now. "It's just itchy, you wake up in the middle of the night and you got to get to a door jam to scratch your back."

Fortunately, the good news is, because Ernie is older, psoriasis is not a heart attack risk that would be seen in a younger psoriasis patient.

Regardless, all psoriasis patients need to pay close attention to their entire medical care.

Dr. Gelfand says, "People with psoriasis are more likely to have diabetes; they're more likely to be overweight; they're more likely to have elevated blood lipids, they're more likely to be hypertensive, and also they tend to be more likely to smoke. So the patient should ask their dermatologist to screen them for cardiovascular risk factors or if not follow up with a primary doctor or internist who can do these screenings for them."

One thing for sure you can do: don't smoke, or if you do, quit. Smoking has actually been shown to be associated with the onset of psoriasis.

The author says some people have suggested that therefore, its worthwhile encouraging people not to smoke if they have psoriasis because it may actually promote the disease.

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