Heart rate and arrhythmia in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.
BACKGROUND
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease involving 1-3% of the human population worldwide. Many systemic diseases including cardiovascular disturbances have been described in psoriatic patients. However, there is a scarcity of data on heart rate, heart rate variability, arrhythmia and conduction abnormalities in this group of patients.


METHODS
The study comprised 32 patients with chronic psoriasis vulgaris and negative personal history of heart problems. Severity of the disease was evaluated by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Twenty-four-h continuous electrocardiographic monitoring (24-h Holter ECG) was performed in all patients.


RESULTS
Heart rate was significantly higher both during the day and at night in patients with psoriasis vulgaris than in the control group (p < 0.0001). There was a positive correlation between the increased heat rate, both during the day and at night, in psoriatic patients and severity of the disease expressed as PASI. Single supraventricular beats were significantly more frequently observed in psoriatic patients vs. the control group (p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
An active inflammatory process observed in psoriasis seems to exert its influence on increased heart rate and supraventricular beats development. However, to confirm the above findings, further studies on larger groups of psoriatic patients, presenting different types of the disease are mandatory.
Markuszeski
Leszek
L
Department of Interventional Cardiology, Cardiodiabetology and Cardiac Rehabilitation University Hospital No. 2, Lodz, Poland.
Bissinger
Andrzej
A
Janusz
Iwo
I
Narbutt
Joanna
J
Jedrzejowska
Anna Sysa
AS
Zalewska
Anna
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*