Psoriasis and cardiovascular risk assessment in primary care.

Abstract

Psoriasis is a common disease affecting approximately 2.5% of the UK population. It has been traditionally thought of as a chronic inflammatory skin disease, but recent research suggests that psoriasis is a disorder of systemic inflammation with chiefly cutaneous and joint manifestations. Several cardiometabolic manifestations of this systemic inflammatory process are now well recognised, including ischaemic heart disease,1,2 cerebrovascular accident,2 diabetes,3 hypercholesterolaemia,4 and hypertension.5 In addition patients with psoriasis have a higher incidence of smoking and obesity.6 In October 2012 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a clinical guideline on psoriasis in which it recommends that every patient with psoriasis should have a cardiovascular risk assessment.7 We …