The effects of IL-17/IL-17R inhibitors on atherosclerosis in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis (PSO) is a systemic inflammatory disorder that presents with erythematous scaling of the skin and is associated with autoimmune dysfunction. Atherosclerosis is one of the major comorbidities of PSO. PSO-associated inflammatory factor IL-17 could lead to vascular endothelial cell injury and atherosclerosis. While some research results show that IL-17 helps stabilize plaque formation. Efficacy and safety on PSO and psoriatic arthritis (PSA) of existing IL-17/IL-17R biologics (secukinumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab, and bimekizumab) have been clinically validated, but whether they can improve atherosclerotic outcomes in psoriatic patients remains controversial. METHODS: Seven electronic search engines will be searched from inception to December 1, 2020, including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, Global Health, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Clinical trial registries, potential grey literature, relevant conference abstracts, and reference lists of identified studies will also be searched. Literature selection, data extraction, and quality assessment will be done by 2 independent authors. Based on the heterogeneity test, the fixed effect or random effect model will be used for data synthesis. Changes in lung function will be evaluated as the primary outcome. Assessment of symptoms, quality of life, medication use, exacerbations and adverse events will be assessed as secondary outcomes. RevMan V. 5.3.5 (The Nordic Cochrane Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark) will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will provide a synthesis of current evidence of IL-17/IL-17R inhibitors on atherosclerosis in PSO and PSA. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of our study will provide updated evidence to judge whether IL-17/IL-17R inhibitors is an effective solution to atherosclerosis as comorbidity of PSO and PSA. PROSPERP REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020209897