A study on metabolic syndrome in patients with Psoriasis

Objectives ·         To study the association of psoriasis and metabolic syndrome. ·         To evaluate the disease activity and duration in psoriatic patients with and without metabolic syndrome. Materials and Method: The study was conducted at MVJ Medical College, Hoskote, Bangalore. 100 newly diagnosed psoriasis patients who had not received systemic treatment 1 month before enrollment were included in study. A complete lipid profile with fasting blood glucose levels were estimated together with measurement of blood pressure and central obesity. Serum lipids were measured and fasting glucose was analysed. Results: Among the 100 patients studied, a majority of patients were male (56%), while female patients accounted for 44%. 37 out of 100 patients had metabolic syndrome. Impaired HDL levels and fasting triglyceride were the most commonly affected components of metabolic syndrome affecting 59% and 54% respectively. There was a direct relationship between the occurrence of metabolic syndrome and extent of body surface area involved by psoriasis. Patients with psoriasis for more than 73 months had a higher occurrence of metabolic syndrome (37.84%). There was no significant correlation between PASI score and metabolic syndrome. Interpretation and conclusion: Our study correlated with the various Indian and western studies proving an association between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome. This has important implication in aiding the dermatologist to tackle issue of metabolic syndrome in psoriatic patients and in the process prevent the cardiovascular complication that are anticipated. Keywords: Psoriasis; metabolic syndrome; Lipid profile; Central obesity; Body surface area