Cardiometabolic comorbidities in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

Abstract

There is solid epidemiologic evidence linking psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) to cardiovascular risk factors and an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Chronic inflammation, with shared pathways and cytokines common to metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and psoriasis, might provide the basis for the cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities of psoriasis and PsA. The purpose of this manuscript is to review recent evidence about the epidemiology and underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease in patients with psoriasis and/or PsA, the use of analytical determinations, physiologic measures and imaging techniques as surrogate biomarkers of atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease in these patients, and the epidemiological and clinical data, including results of clinical trials, supporting a cardioprotective role of anti-inflammatory and disease-modifying treatment in psoriasis and PsA.