Psoriasis sufferers ‘at high risk of comorbidities’

Patients with psoriasis are affected by a higher risk of suffering from another serious illness, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Investigators surveyed GPs caring for 9,035 psoriasis patients, with significant associations found between the skin disease and various other conditions, including chronic pulmonary disease, diabetes, mild liver disease, myocardial infarction and peripheral vascular disease, peptic ulcer disease, renal disease and other rheumatologic diseases.

It was also showed that the more severe the case of psoriasis, the more likely patients were to be affected by comorbidities.

Senior study author Dr Joel Gelfand, associate professor of dermatology and epidemiology, said: "As we identify additional diseases linked to psoriasis, patients and physicians need to be aware of the increased odds of serious comorbid illnesses, which is especially important in severe cases."

This comes in the same week that the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence introduced new standards for the quality of care for people with psoriasis under the NHS.