Young patients with risk factors prevalent in the elderly – differences in comorbidity depending on severity of psoriasis: a nationwide cross-sectional study in Swedish health registers

BACKGROUND: Association between psoriasis severity and cerebro- and cardiovascular comorbidities has rarely been investigated. AIM: We aimed to investigate differences in cerebro- and cardiovascular comorbidities by psoriasis severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using Swedish nationwide health-care registers, new adult users of anti-psoriatic drugs (2007–2013) with a recorded diagnosis of psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis or a filled prescription for calcipotriol were included. Psoriasis severity was based on the type of anti-psoriatic treatment (topical/mild, non-biologic systemic/moderate-to-severe, and biologics/ severe). Age standardized prevalence rates of cerebro- and cardiovascular comorbidities and their risk factors were compared between the groups. RESULTS: We found that severe psoriasis patients (N=2147) were younger than moderate-to-severe (N=11,919) or mild (N=70,796) patients (median 44, 52, and 55 years). Prevalence of hypertension was 29.9%, 32.6%, and 36.5%, myocardial infarction was 2.5%, 2.3%, and 1.8%, and stroke was 2.4%, 2.2%, and 1.1% in mild, moderate-to-severe, and severe psoriasis patients, respectively. Diabetes prevalence was 7.6% in mild, 8.0% in moderate-to-severe, and 10.7% in severe psoriasis. CONCLUSION: Myocardial infarction and stroke were less common in patients with severe psoriasis while, despite being younger, they had a higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension.