Global prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with psoriasis in the past two decades: current evidence

Abstract Patients with psoriasis are at an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS); however, a systematic analysis of its global prevalence has not been performed to date. Here, we performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis to assess the prevalence of MetS among patients with psoriasis. We searched five databases from inception through September 2021 and used the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) tools to assess observational study quality. Stata SE 15.1 was used to perform the data analysis. Subgroup, meta‐regression and sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate interstudy heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's and Begg's linear tests. The global prevalence of MetS in patients with psoriasis was 32% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26–0.38). The prevalence in adults was 32% (95% CI, 0.29–0.36), while that in children and adolescents was 9% (95% CI, 0.00–0.18). Latin America had the highest prevalence of 47% (95% CI, 0.43–0.51), whereas North America had the lowest prevalence of 26% (95% CI, 0.16–0.37). Patients with psoriasis vulgaris (29%; 95% CI, 0.23–0.35) or severe psoriasis (37%; 95% CI, 0.27–0.46) had a higher prevalence of MetS than those with other psoriasis types. These findings suggest that MetS should be appropriately recognized and managed in patients with psoriasis. More population‐based prospective observational studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the coexistence of MetS in patients with psoriasis.