The chronic skin disorder psoriasis may raise the risk of diabetes, a large study shows.
The risk is highest — about two-fold higher — in patients with the most severe psoriasis, says researcher Ole Ahlehoff, MD, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in cardiology at Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, in Denmark.
“Our results underline the importance of considering patients with psoriasis as a high-risk population in terms of diabetes and [heart disease and stroke] risk. Screening for diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors in these patients is warranted,” he says.
Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Previous studies have shown that people with psoriasis have twice the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to people without the skin disorder, Ahlehoff says.
The findings were presented here at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.
Read more: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/psoriasis/news/20120829/psoriasis-linked-diabetes
