New study shows psoriasis patients at risk for heart attack

Portland, Ore., Oct. 10, 2006—In a study released today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Joel M. Gelfand, M.D., M.S.C.E., and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, found that psoriasis patients are at increased risk for heart attack. While researchers and the medical community are striving to understand the full implications of this new data, people with psoriasis should be aware of this development.

Psoriasis patients have a collection of health risk factors that can include hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking and others. With these factors removed, the risk between psoriasis and heart attack remained, particularly for patients with severe psoriasis in their 40s and 50s.

This information is important in generating awareness about psoriasis and the seriousness of the disease. "This is one of the largest studies to date on coronary diseases and psoriasis. It gives weight to the argument that psoriasis is not just about the skin and joints, but is a systemic inflammatory disease," said Alan Menter, M.D., president of the International Psoriasis Council.

The National Psoriasis Foundation supports the medical community in encouraging psoriasis patients to be proactive in their health care. Patients should talk with their doctors about cardiac risk factors such as diabetes, elevated cholesterol, and high blood pressure—and about lifestyle changes that can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Dr. Gelfand, lead author of the study, and medical director of the Penn Department of Dermatology's Clinical Studies Unit, stresses that psoriasis patients should not be alarmed. But they should examine their modifiable cardiovascular risk factors.

"If you smoke, quit. If you experience high stress, learn stress management techniques. If you are obese, work toward maintaining a healthy body weight. And if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, be sure that these are well-controlled," said Dr. Gelfand, a member of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board.

The National Psoriasis Foundation is the world's largest nonprofit patient advocacy organization dedicated to fighting psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and the voice for millions of Americans who are affected by these diseases. Our mission is to find a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and to eliminate their devastating effects through research, advocacy and education. For more information, call the Psoriasis Foundation, headquartered in Portland, Ore., at 800.723.9166, or visit www.psoriasis.org.