Psoriasis and ischemic heart disease: A case-control study

Aim. Psoriasis has been associated with the metabolic syndrome, but there are only a few studies on the association between psoriasis and ischemic heart disease (IHD). The aim of this paper was to describe the association between psoriasis and IHD. Methods. A case-control study was performed using the database of Clalit Health Services (CHS), the largest health provider organization in Israel. Cases were defined as patients who were diagnosed with psoriasis. Controls included CHS enrollees without psoriasis. Patients with IHD were identified using the CHS chronic diseases registry. The proportion of IHD patients among cases and controls was compared using χ² tests. Logistic regression models were used for multivariate analyses. Results. The study included 16,851 patients with psoriasis (cases) and 74,987 subjects without psoriasis (controls). The age-adjusted proportion of IHD was significantly higher in psoriasis patients as compared to the control group (OR 1.33, P-value <0.05) and was similar in men and women (OR 1.35, 1.32, respectively). The proportion of IHD was significantly increased in patients over 45 years. A multivariate logistic regression model demonstrated that psoriasis was independently associated with IHD (OR 1.33, P-value < 0.001). Conclusion. Our study supports previous reports of an association between psoriasis and IHD. Further study is needed to assess the role of primary and secondary prevention of IHD in patients with psoriasis.