Changes in MetS diagnosis affects psoriasis risk

The risk of psoriasis is elevated in patients with continuous metabolic syndrome (MetS) and in those with newly developed MetS, a recent study has found. In contrast, such risk is absent in individuals with only a history of MetS.

Drawing data from Korea’s National Health Insurance Service, researchers assessed 5,644,324 adults who underwent health examinations in 2009 and 2012. Participants were divided into four according to MetS status: no MetS (controls; n=3,439,976), with MetS in 2009 but not in 2012 (pre-MetS; n=430,044), without MetS in 2009 but newly diagnosed by 2012 (post-MetS; n=752,360), and with MetS both at 2009 and 2012 (continuous-MetS; n=1,021,944).

Compared with controls, the risk of psoriasis was not significantly elevated in the pre-MetS group (hazard ratio [HR], 1.00, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.96–1.05).

In contrast, post-MetS participants saw a significant 8-percent increase in the likelihood of psoriasis relative to controls (HR, 1.08, 95 percent CI, 1.05–1.12), while those with continuous-MetS had such risk aggravated by 11 percent (HR, 1.11, 95 percent CI, 1.07–1.15).

Focusing on individual MetS components, the researchers found that change over time in waist circumference had the largest impact on psoriasis risk in the pre-MetS (HR, 1.05, 95 percent CI, 1.00–1.11), post-MetS (HR, 1.09, 95 percent CI, 1.04–1.14), and continuous-MetS (HR, 1.15, 95 percent CI, 1.10–1.20) groups, as opposed to control. Temporal changes in high-density lipoprotein and triglyceride changes likewise had strong effects on the risk of psoriasis.