Psoriasis source - wik

(Best Syndication News) Psoriasis may affect more than the skin and may lead to high blood pressure and even diabetes. People with Psoriasis are at an increased risk for death, developing diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure), according to Harvard Medical School Researchers.

Doctor Abrar A. Qureshi, M.D., M.P.H., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston compared women with psoriasis and women without it using data from the Nurses' Health Study II, a group of female nurses who were between the ages of 27 and 44 in 1991. The study included 78,061 women.

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious autoimmune disease which affects the skin and joints. The inflammation is caused by psoriatic plaques and excessive skin production. The skin will rapidly accumulate and take on a silvery-white appearance, usually on the elbows and knees. The exact cause is unknown, but it appears to have a genetic component which may be aggravated by alcohol consumption, and smoking. The disease may affect 1 to 3 percent of the population.

Risk Factor For Diabetes and Hypertension

The researchers only considered women who did not have diabetes nor high blood pressure at the beginning of the study. In 2005 about 2.3 percent of the women in the nurses study indicated having psoriasis, 2 percent having diabetes and 20 percent having hypertension.

Women with psoriasis were 63 percent more likely to develop diabetes and 17 percent more likely to develop hypertension than women without psoriasis. These associations remained strong even after the researchers considered age, body mass index and smoking status.

The researchers believe that the inflammation affects more than just the skin. Inflammation is a risk factor for hypertension and can also contribute to insulin resistance. They believe that systemic steroid therapy or other treatments for psoriasis may promote development of diabetes or hypertension.

"These data illustrate the importance of considering psoriasis a systemic disorder rather than simply a skin disease," the authors conclude. "Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these associations and to find out whether psoriasis therapy can reduce the risk for diabetes and hypertension."

By Dan Wilson