Bidirectional Association Between Psoriasis and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The link between psoriasis and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has not been confirmed. We aimed to investigate the relationship between psoriasis and OSA. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control, cross-sectional, and cohort studies on the association between psoriasis and OSA. We searched MEDLINE and Embase for relevant studies on May 11, 2019. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the risk of bias of included studies. We performed random-effects model meta-analysis to calculate pooled odds ratio (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for case-control and cross-sectional studies as well as pooled incidence rate ratio (IRR) with 95% CIs for cohort studies in association between psoriasis and OSA. A total of 4 case-control or cross-sectional studies and 3 cohort studies with a total of 5,840,495 subjects were included. We identified a significantly increased odds for OSA in psoriasis patients (pooled OR 2.60; 95% CI 1.07–6.32), and significantly increased risk for psoriasis in OSA patients (pooled IRR 2.52; 95% CI 1.89–3.36). In conclusion, our study identified a bidirectional association between psoriasis and OSA. Sleep quality should be inquired in patients with psoriasis. Respirologist consultation or polysomnography may be indicated for those presenting with night snoring, recurrent awaking, and excessive daytime sleepiness.