title: Cardiovascular risk factors in high-need psoriasis patients and its implications for biological therapies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The associations between psoriasis and cardiovascular risk factors are reported to be stronger as psoriasis severity increases. This makes studying cardiovascular risk factors in high-need psoriasis patients, eligible for biological therapy, interesting.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To survey the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in high-need psoriasis patients and to compare these data to patients with other dermatological diseases. Furthermore, the implications of these findings for treatment with biologics were outlined.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was investigated in a high-need psoriatic patient cohort and compared to patients with other skin diseases who filled out a questionnaire about the presence of cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significantly higher prevalence of obesity, smoking, and hypertension was found for the high-need psoriatic patients' cohort compared with non-psoriatic controls. Striking differences were found with respect to body mass index and obesity, as 35.5% of all high-need psoriatic patients were obese.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-need psoriatic patients show a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, and may consequently be predisposed to cardiovascular diseases. As this is relevant for therapy management in daily clinical practice, especially biologics, cardiovascular risk should be evaluated for each high-need psoriasis patient before and during systemic treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. R.Driessen@derma.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Rieke J B
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Driessen
authors.forename: Jan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Boezeman
authors.forename: Peter C M
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Van De Kerkhof
authors.forename: Elke M G J
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: De Jong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate