Nasrin Goolam Mahyoodeen, Nigel J. Crowther, Lushen Pillay, Tracy Snyman, Marketa Toman, Sheetal Daya, Mohammed Tikly
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-3327

As part of a larger cross-sectional, case-control study on cardiometabolic diseases in psoriasis this study investigated the association of visceral fat and serum adipokines with psoriasis and cardiometabolic diseases. A total of 103 patients with psoriasis and 98 controls, matched for body mass index, ethnicity and sex, were recruited over 15 months. Abdominal visceral fat was measured by computerized tomo­graphy. Logistic regression analysis revealed that visceral fat was associated with psoriasis (odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.56 (1.15, 2.11)), hyper­triglyceridaemia (1.67 (1.22, 2.28)), low high-density lipoprotein (1.63 (1.19, 2.22)) and type 2 diabetes (1.77 (1.24, 2.54)), (p < 0.005 for all). These respective associations were linked to serum interleukin-6, adiponectin, tumour necrosis factor and insulin resistance. Psoriasis was associated with type 2 diabetes (7.94 (2.64, 23.9)), independent of visceral fat. These data suggest that visceral fat and its mediators play a key role in psoriasis-associated cardiometabolic diseases. Psoriasis itself is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Abdominal obesity is common in patients with psoriasis. This study examined the relationship of abdominal fat, measured by computed tomography, in relation to metabolic diseases in a cohort of 103 patients with psoriasis and 98 control subjects. The results showed that increased visceral fat and related hormones were associated with an increased risk of psoriasis, type 2 diabetes and abnormal levels of lipids. Psoriasis was a risk factor for type 2 diabetes independent of abdominal fat. These findings show the importance of abdominal fat as a risk factor for psoriasis and metabolic diseases.

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