Patients with the chronic skin condition psoriasis may be more likely to suffer from other medical ailments, such as heart disease, depression and cancer, a new study suggests.
A National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board team explored health conditions associated with psoriasis and found that people with severe psoriasis "appear to have an increased incidence of psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression, obesity and even other immune-related conditions such as Crohn's disease", according to lead researcher Dr Alexa Kimball.
Dr Kimball, who is an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, advised patients to follow recommendations for treating their skin condition.
"These include getting regular, comprehensive exams from their doctors and working to make lifestyle changes such as losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, reducing high blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, maintaining emotional health, and managing diabetes as needed," she added.
The findings are published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Patients with the chronic skin condition psoriasis may be more likely to suffer from other medical ailments, such as heart disease, depression and cancer, a new study suggests.
