Photo Credit: Tumeyes

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases with the amount of body surface area (BSA) affected by psoriasis, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Sonia Wang and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study to explore the link between psoriasis severity and CVD risk in 8,930 patients with psoriasis compared with 89,096 non-psoriasis controls. Psoriasis severity was classified based on BSA affected: mild (<3% BSA), moderate (3-10% BSA), and severe (>10% BSA). The primary outcome was a composite of 12 CVD subtypes. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers found that psoriasis was independently associated with a higher overall risk for CVD (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01-1.18), with severe psoriasis (>10% BSA) driving the increased risk (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.01-1.50). For every 5% increase in BSA affected, CVD risk rose by 4%. Specific outcomes varied by severity: mild psoriasis increased the risk for supraventricular arrhythmias, moderate psoriasis increased the risk for heart failure and atrial fibrillation, and severe psoriasis increased the risk for valve disorders.