MONDAY, June 15, 2009 (Health.com) — Leonard Kleinman, an 82-year-old retired grocer in Boynton Beach, Fla., always thought of psoriasis as a nuisance separate from his other health problems, but now he is learning that his skin condition, which causes raised, silvery plaques on his legs, may actually be related to some of his other health issues.
“My doctor told me I was at risk for diabetes, and he referred me to a cardiologist because of some blockages in my heart arteries,” says Kleinman. “It didn’t occur to me that this could be connected to my psoriasis. But he said that it could be the case and I needed to take it seriously.”
Like Kleinman, about seven million Americans have psoriasis. Now, a new study suggests they are more likely to have heart attacks; strokes; blockages in the arteries of the legs, arms, and groin; and a greater risk of earlier death than those who do not have the inflammatory skin disease. The findings, published in the June issue of the Archives of Dermatology, add to a growing body of evidence that links psoriasis to a laundry list of other systemic, inflammatory diseases.
“Psoriasis is not just a skin disease, but rather a disease that appears to have diffuse manifestations throughout the body,” says study author Robert S. Kirsner, MD, PhD, a Stiefel Laboratories professor and vice chairman in the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “Patients with psoriasis and clinicians caring for patients with psoriasis should be aware of this association and take appropriate action to limit risk of developing these diseases.”
People with psoriasis should have regular screenings and aggressive treatments to reduce the risk of heart and blood vessel disease, he says. Some patients may need to take aspirin daily; the low-dose variety helps reduce the risk of blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Next page: Psoriasis linked to earlier mortality
Comments (21)
We knew about this a while ago but there are many more studies with bad findings being posted often. If you have psoriasis, be sure to seek the treatment and help you need. Two of the best places to start are http://www.psoriasis.org and http://www.psoriasispatients.com Hope this helps if you have it or a loved on that does.
Interestingly enough – when my husband started to treat his psoriasis aggressively, his cholesterol levels and blood pressure went thru the roof. A more thorough study of the use of steroids in treatment should definitely be looked at. In addition, when he took statins to lower his cholesterol, in addition to other more serious side effects, his psoriasis got much worse. I don’t know the “cause and effect”, but we’ve had the best luck controlling both with more natural, food-based alternatives – lots of fish (in particular salmon), cut out smoking, lots of sun exposure (how contradictory is that?!),olive oil soap,tons of water and exercise to manage stress. Doesn’t always make the doc happy, but after his last reaction to the statins that they had put him on, not much that can be done other than this.
I was diagnosed with psoriasis late 60’s early 70’s when I was just 6 to 8 years old. Nails were effected first (lifted away from bed, cracked, hurt like a toothpick jammed to the knuckle). Now, I have severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis of the back. Only Enbrel and/or Humira have saved me from the wheelchair. Question: does age of diagnosis increase or decrease possible heart condition? Or, increase death rate if psoriasis begins at an earlier age. My father was 66 before psoriasis was diagnosed.
FOR WTRIKER…I noticed you said that your father was diagnosed at 66…same with my father. Never had any skin problems in his life, now he battles psoriasis. I, on the other hand, have been battling severe eczema for 20 years..onset at age 21! My doctor mentioned Enbril to me a few days ago and was going to research it…can you tell me how it works and if it actually helped your skin? I would love to hear about it from someone who has tried it before I start it. Hope to hear from you. Thanks.
I have had psoriasis since 1989 or thereabout. I used Embrel injections for about three years, 2 50mg
injections twice weekly, then down to 2 25mg injections twice weekly for around three months. The lower dose was almost no help for me.
The larger dose was very helpful in slowing the affected areas to much smaller sizes and the plaques would form far more slowly on the remaining areas.
The cost was most of the reason I stopped using this drug. I had no side effects that I am aware of, but
Embrel is an immune supressor, and I did worry about the possibility of an overwhelming infection or some other major medical problem while I used the drug.
It has been around four years since I used Embrel; the psoriasis now covers a larger area than it did prior to beginning the therapy, but I have managed to control most of the thick deep plaques.
Another drug, a topical, Dovenex has proved helpful to me, though I use it sporadically rather than routinely.
The best moisturizer I have found for the psoriatic areas is a topical barrier cream used for incontinent patients, brand name is Aloe Vesta. It reall keeps the plaques moist, which not only helps the appearance but also makes them easier to remove in the bath. I find it at some medical supply stores because it is not readily available to the public. Nursing homes and hospitals often use this brand in my area.
Sometimes a soap medicated with coal tar or salicylic acid is helpful.
Good luck to all of you and to me as well. This auto-immune disease is no fun. I keep thinking how great it would be if they could find a biological off-on button for it; think of the applications an ‘on button’ might have on burn patients, for example, or slow healing surgical wounds, or deep decubiti. And we all know how much an ‘off button’ would mean to us.
I know it sounds like some weird urban legend, but I DO know people who have had great success using Murphy’s Oil Soap. Yep–the stuff for wood floors.
The point of the article is very close to pinpointing the problem. These skin diseases are direct indications that there is something wrong within our systems, whether it be heart disease, or the intake of harmful chemicals, like the things we use and/or are exposed to every day. If you develop one of these painful conditions you are correct to stop smoking, drinking alcohol, eating junk foods and eliminating harsh chemicals from your environment. The reason creams are often ineffective is that you cannot cream away the bad things you put into your body. You need to change your habits and intakes, and that is not the easy answer – just the most effective
I have scalp psoriasis and have had it for 10 years or so. I also have psoriatic arthritis. Any recommendations on what may help my scalp? Nothing I have tried (medicated or non-medicated) seem to help. I should say they help when I use them every day/night but when I go to the “maintainance phase”, it comes back full force.
The disease can also be very depressing and isolating, which would lower life expectancy. And the side effects I had with methotrexate couldn’t have helped my overall health.
I’ve had psoriasis (severe, if untreated) for 20 years and psoriatic arthritis for about 8. I’m in otherwise decent health. I don’t smoke, am vegetarian, get exercise. No lifestyle changes I’ve made has ever helped. What does work for me are Enbrel and Humira. (Humira works better for my joints, but doesn’t do much for skin and nails.) So, by all means, do what you can to improve your health, but don’t drive yourself crazy trying to solve a genetic skin disease with changes in diet or lifestyle.
FOR SHARON:
I also have been battling scalp psoriasis for a little over 10 years. For the past 4 years or so I have been using a topical cream called diflorasone diacetate. Most dermatoligists call it Psorcon cream. It helps reduce the size of the patches on my scalp after twice daily use for two weeks. However, you cannot use it constantly because the main drawback to the medication is that is slowly thins out layers of skin. So I switch on and off between that and lotion. Though the lotion does help a little, it allows the patches to get a little worse. But if you haven’t tried it, I would recommend it.
I have not noticed any side effects other than the thinning of the skin. Hope that helps.
Read the book “Thyroid the most misunderstood disease..” By Dr.Broda Barnes.all kinds of skin problems result from too little thyroid hormone.Heart disease and diabetes as well .He explains why ,and it cleared up ALL my problems .That’s probably why the above person eating fish got better ,the iodine in the fish for the thyroid,honestly,get the book and read.
I don’t know if I agree with the comment that people with psoriasis smoke more, et al. There are plenty of people who smoke and lead sedentary life styles besides people with psoriasis. Also this study is skewed seeing as how most of the people in the study were middle aged men. For it to be truely reflective, it needs to span the ages and have more women. Mainly, because men have a shorter life span then women. This article just irriated me.
I have had psoriasis since I was 10 and psoriatic arthritis since my late teens. I am now 56. About 5 years ago I went on Enbrel. It got rid of almost all of my psoriasis, however my immune system suffered greatly. This past winter I was sick for 6 weeks and on 2 rounds of antibiotics. I was so wiped out. I went off Enbrel and went on immunity boosters. I am healthier now, however my psoriasis is terrible. My scalp, back and legs are covered with psoriasis and I have a few spots on my stomach and arms. My psoriatic arthritis has been under control for many years, however I have other bone issues now. I am taking heavy doses of fish oil, eating a lot of fish and have cut out all alcohol, junk food and red meat. So far I have no relief for my psoriasis. Unfortunately the sun hasn’t been out much here so I can’t get out in the sun often. I used to use Denorex shampoo on my scalp and it helped a lot, but I can’t find it on the market anymore.
I have had psoriasis since i was 8 years old. It was so bad that through middle and high school i couldn’t wear shorts or tee shirts because people were grossed out and made fun of me. I did the light box for years and then the Embrel injections for 5 years and then when i was 27 i had my tonsils take out and my psoriasis was gone. It comes back some times in little tiny patches once in awhile but that is it. Its very weird how this skin disorder affects people differently.
Tmom,
Actually, your natural remedies all make sense. There are very sound clinical reasons why each of them are helping. I’ll spell it out for you:
-”lots of fish (in particular salmon)” – fish is high in omega 3 fatty acids which are well known to be mild natural anti-inflammatory agents. Psoriasis is a condition caused by an abnormal increase in the immune system.
-”cut out smoking” – probably the best thing your husband could have done for his health. Smoke is filled with toxic substances that his body has to rid itself of, which it does in part through immune processes. Stimulating an already overstimulated immune system with smoking can make psoriasis worse – not to mention cause cancer.
-”lots of sun exposure (how contradictory is that?!)” – Actually it is not contradictory at all. In fact, it is well known that UV light exposure helps improve severe psoriasis. In fact, UV treatment is often prescribed with a popular medication (acitretin) and excellent results are often seen. Also, a lower amount of medication is usually needed when it is taken in conjunction with UV treatments.
-”olive oil soap, tons of water and exercise to manage stress” – The olive oil soap is likely much more moisturizing to the scaly skin than regular soap. Moisturizing is an important step in reducing the scaling and other symptoms of psoriasis. Water and exercise not only help reduce stress (another immune-stimulating factor), but also help improve blood flow and overall cardiovascular health. This allows the body to heal faster. People who are fit and exercise have statistically shorter hospital stays after surgery.
Fantastic job finding lifestyle measures to improve the psoriasis. As always, be sure to keep your doctor in the loop on what you are doing.
I have had Pscorsis for 3 years..been down the long depressing road. But I have found in the past year what I think is helping me the most. Stress is the real thing against us with this. The mors stress we have the worse it gets. I started on an depressant a year ago and also an anxiety drug. to my surprise its under control Ihaven’t had Humara since Dec. my shins are the hardest to clear up and i have just started back to tanning bed and its helped alot. If you look at the leading cause of Pscorsis other than genetic..its stress…you can treat it but if you don’t control the stress or depression in your life you won’t have any peace. this is my experience. I finally feel I have a lease on life and wearing capri’s for the first time in 3 yrs . don’t give up…do what you can but you “must” consider the stress as one thing you have to control. good luch
I have suffered with psoriasis since I was about 8 years old and since then the disease become severe. Now at 24 and I cope with the emotional issues that go with the territory as well as take the blows of physical pain. I encourage us sufferers to keep head strong no matter how S***ty this life gets. Other people got it bad and with this disease it can make you stronger. I am currently taking humirus and it is working well at clearing and maintaining the psoriasis.
I hope that all that suffer find peace
jesse
The link between psoriasis and things such as diabetes, heart attacks, stroke and arthritis is that all of these illnesses primarily come from excessive blood sugar and an imbalance of omega 3s and 6s. I have just started on a diet and have seen dramatic improvements in just a few weeks. You can see it on my blog and read the explanations:
http://www.youcantcatchit.com
note: NOTHING is being sold on this blog
After just a week at the Dead Sea (http://dead-sea-health.org) with daily salt baths, mud packs and sunbathing, the difference in my son’s skin is already visible. The psoriasis seems to be receding, the itching is less intense and he feels great. Can’t wait to see the results after two weeks!
Daughter also had terrible bouts and a holiday visit to Egypt Two Weeks Dead Sea made an amazing difference
We had a few pictures before the trip and the Psoriasis was very severe. On return her skin was virtually clear.Like many others this was just temporary and it would come back with a vengeance possibly 4-6 weeks later. A special girl she would not try to hide the blemishes but deep down a worry for the future condition would always be there I suppose