Can A Skin Condition Harm Your Heart?

Can a skin condition harm your heart? Maybe: Psoriasis may raise heart attack risk by as much as 30%, according to a surprising new study.

University of Pennsylvania researchers compared medical histories of about 130,000 people who suffered from psoriasis (usually scaly red skin patches) with those of a half-million people who didn't. For people around the age of 30, mild psoriasis raised heart attack risk by 29%; a severe case tripled the odds. The effect was less noticeable in older patients, though severe psoriasis still raised heart attack risk by 36% in 60-year-olds.

Patients with psoriasis also had higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. "All these conditions share the same hallmark symptom: inflammation--a sign of the immune system behaving abnormally," says lead researcher Joel M. Gelfand, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology.

More research is needed, but if you (or a loved one) have psoriasis or another inflammatory condition, pay close attention to your heart health. Ask your doctor to check for heart disease, and request a CRP blood test (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein)--a marker for inflammation. Lifestyle modifications and statins can help protect your heart.

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