Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with psoriasis

Psoriasis is a genetic, inflamative dermatosis that reveals a chronic and recurrent course presenting with sharp-lined erythematous, squamous papular lesions tending to localize particularly on hairy skin and extensor areas. On the other hand, metabolic syndrome is a complex syndrome closely associated with cardiovascular risk factors that occur due to accumulation of multiple metabolic anomalies in a single individual revealing a pathogenesis in which insulin resistance plays a central role.Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease during which Th-1 cells have an active part. Similarly, chronic Th-1 inflammation is also important in pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis and myocardium infarct and exhibits a common cytokine profile with psoriasis. In recent years, literature finding demonstrating the relationship of psoriasis with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases progressively increase.In the present study, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with psoriasis was aimed to be investigated.120 psoriasis patients and 120 similar non-psoriatic controls who were above 10 year-old, without familial hyperlipidemia, without diabetes mellitus, and who do not use lipid lowering medications and/or drugs which will not influence lipid profile were recruited for this case-control study. Groups were formed with age- and sex-matched controls.Fasting blood sugar (FBS), total cholesterol (TC), HDL, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), CRP levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and waist and hip circumference of the individuals in both groups were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Findings were statistically compared. NCEP ATP III criteria were used for diagnosis of metabolic syndrome.In this study, prevalence of metabolic syndrome was detected to be 16.7% in psoriatic patients with a rate of 12.5% in males and 21.4% in females. Metabolic syndrome was observed to begin at approximately 40s and increase with age. Prevalance of metabolic syndrome was detected to be significantly high in psoriasis patients compared to the control group.As a result of the present study, it was concluded that the patients with psoriasis should be evaluated in terms of other cardiovascular risk factors and presence of metabolic disease.Keywords: Psoriasis, metabolic syndrome, cytokines, obesity, leptin, adiponectin.