Managing comorbid disease in patients with psoriasis

Managing comorbid disease in patients with psoriasis

Summary points :
- Psoriasis is a common and severe disease, impairing patients’ quality of life to an extent similar to other major diseases such as cancer or diabetes mellitus

- Psoriasis is a systemic disease: Th17 cells are important effector cells and biomarkers of systemic inflammation are raised

- Several important diseases including psoriatic arthritis, metabolic syndrome, Crohn’s disease, cancer, and depression are associated with psoriasis

- Life expectancy is reduced by about four years in patients with severe psoriasis, primarily owing to their increased cardiovascular risk

- Physicians in primary and secondary care need to detect developing comorbidities early, using validated questionnaires (to detect psoriatic arthritis) and proper monitoring

- Treatment decisions must take into account patients’ comorbidities (to identify contraindications) and comedication (to avoid drug interactions)


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