MedWire News: Patients with psoriasis may have more severe symptoms if they are obese, say the authors of a sibling case–control study.
The finding is in line with results from population-based studies, say Jack Cohen (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA) and colleagues.
They note that several conditions, such as inflammation, arthritis and hypertension are common in patients with psoriasis and in obese individuals.
But the team stresses: “Larger investigations will be necessary before causal relationships of psoriasis, obesity and other comorbidities can be completely elucidated.”
As reported in the journal Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, Cohen et al studied 88 psoriasis patients.
They found that the 22 women who had a same-gender sibling had a significantly higher average body mass index (BMI) than their sisters, at 32.0 versus 27.6 kg/m2. No such difference was observed for the 30 men who had brothers, however, although the patients’ average BMI was slightly higher than that of their siblings, at 28.8 versus 27.8 kg/m2.
Among the patients overall, BMI significantly and positively correlated with Physician’s Global Assessment score and with the percentage affected body surface area.
“This observation fortifies the necessity, even among specialists treating psoriasis, to treat the whole patient by encouraging healthy lifestyle changes, so that patients maintain an appropriate weight, proper eating habits and exercise,” conclude the researchers.
Free abstract
