Psoriasis and ischemic coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with an increased risk of ischemic coronary artery disease (CAD) in some populations. We aimed to determine the association between these 2 diseases in our geographic area.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study of patient records between 2005 and 2012 in the database (Abucacis, Datamart) that contains all medical case histories in the province of Castellón, Spain. Patients diagnosed with psoriasis were compared with a control group of patients diagnosed with melanocytic nevus. The prevalence of CAD and the presence or absence of the main cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed in each group.

RESULTS

A total of 9181 patients with psoriasis and 21925 with melanocytic nevus were studied. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that CAD was significantly associated with psoriasis, age (in years), sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity (P<.05). On adjustment for age, sex, and the other cardiovascular risk factors, multivariate regression analysis established that psoriasis was independently associated with CAD (P<.029).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings in a large sample of patients in a Mediterranean area support the hypothesis that patients in this population have an increased risk of ischemic CAD.