Skin disorder linked to diabetes

A new study has revealed that patients suffering from the skin disorder, psoriasis, are at a greater risk of cardiovascular risk factors such as type 2 diabetes and obesity . The research found that 40 per cent of patients in the study that had the skin disorder, which is caused by problems in the immune system, also had these other factors, known as metabolic syndrome .
The study examined data from 6,549 people in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with the figures showing that 40 per cent of those who had psoriasis also had features of metabolic syndromen, as compared to 23 per cent of those without psoriasis.
Of the patients with psoriasis, the most common characteristics of metabolic syndrome were abdominal obesity, which featured in 63 per cent of cases, high triglyceride levels in 44 per cent of cases and low levels of ‘good’ high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in 34 per cent of cases. However, just 13 per cent of people with psoriasis had no features of metabolic syndromen, compared with 28 per cent of those without psoriasis.
Thorvardur Jon Love said, “these findings from a nationally representative sample of US adults show a doubling in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among patients with psoriasis independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity and C-reactive protein levels.”
The study, to be published in the Archives of Dermatology, also pointed out, “Given its associated serious complications, this comorbidity needs to be recognized and taken into account when treating individuals with psoriasis.”