PhD Scientific Days 2025

Poster Session II. - W: Conservative Medicine

Cumulative Duration of Severe Psoriasis: A Potential Predictor of Cardiovascular Risk in Psoriasis Patients

Name of the presenter

Hon-Balla Bernadett

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Semmelweis University, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology

Authors

Bernadett Hon-Balla¹, Noémi Ágnes Galajda¹, Mária Veronika Kolonics¹, Éva Anna Piros¹, Andrea Lukács¹, Bálint Szilveszter², Borbála Vattay², Klára Szalai¹, Seo-Ho Cho¹, Lajos Kemény¹, Pál Maurovich-Horvat³, Béla Merkely², Adrienn Katalin Poór¹, Péter Holló¹

1: Semmelweis University, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology
2: Semmelweis University, Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Centre
3: Semmelweis University, Medical Imaging Centre

Text of the abstract

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic systemic autoinflammatory disease. It is considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor.
Aims: To evaluate the effect of the cumulative duration of severe psoriasis (CDSP) on the cardiovascular risk in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.
Method: Patients with moderate-to-severe (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index >10) psoriasis without cardiac symptoms at the Department of Dermatology, Dermatology and Dermatooncology, Semmelweis University, were included in this cross-sectional study. Controls were matched based on age, sex and comorbidity. Patients underwent ultrasound examination to assess the intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque burden of the carotid, brachial and femoral arteries. Cardiac computed tomography was performed, and the Coronary Artery Calcification Score (CACS) was calculated. CDSP was calculated using self-reported data acquired from a structured interview. For CDSP, severe psoriasis was defined as PASI > 10 or Body Surface Area > 10, requiring systemic or whole-body surface phototherapy or a minimum of 10 palm-sized lesional skin on any body area. CDSP was obtained by summing the minimum durations of untreated severe disease, the ineffectively treated severe disease, and the severe disease between treatments and was expressed in months.
Results: In total, 98 patients and 263 controls were included. The CACS was significantly higher in psoriasis patients (M = 159.02, SD = 365.60) compared to the control group (M = 73.12, SD = 166.08), P = .029. The threshold of CDSP was determined as 60.5 months. Patients with CDSP greater than 60.5 months had significantly higher CACS (M = 214.63, SD = 430.11) than patients with shorter CDSP (M = 57.61, SD = 162.53), P = .012. Furthermore, the number of soft plaques was also significantly higher when the CDSP was over 60.5 months (M = 0.11, SD = 0.31), compared to the shorter CDSP (M = 0.00, SD = 0.00), P = .024. No statistically significant differences were observed in the IMT values.
Conclusion: Psoriasis patients with a CDSP exceeding five years have an increased risk of CVD. Dermatologists have a fundamental role in identifying high cardiovascular-risk psoriasis patients.
Funding: None.