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Psoriasis Tied to Raised Heart Risk

March 15, 2010

SATURDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) — The common skin ailment psoriasis may boost the risk for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular woes, probably through a shared inflammatory response, a new Danish study found.

“There is mounting evidence for psoriasis as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” study lead researcher Dr. Ole Ahlehoff, from Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, said during a Saturday morning press conference at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, in Atlanta. “We are nearing in on a point where we need to reconsider how to mange patients with psoriasis. We need to consider the question of if psoriasis patients are due for statin therapy earlier than predicted by traditional risk scores.” Read More

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Cost of Psoriasis Drugs Rising Faster Than Others

January 19, 2010

MONDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) — The cost of treating psoriasis is rising faster than inflation, says a U.S. study, which also found that newer, biologically-derived treatments cost more than traditional systemic therapies.

The researchers created a cost model to analyze the total cost of systemic therapy for psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune skin disease that affects 4.5 million to 7.5 million Americans and costs the nation’s health-care industry more than $3 billion a year. Read More

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Newer Drug More Effective in Psoriasis Treatment

January 13, 2010

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) — The estimated 7.5 million Americans suffering from psoriasis often have to tolerate long-term treatment that may be only moderately effective.

Now, a new drug called ustekinumab (Stelara) appears to be more effective than the old standby, etanercept (Enbrel), according to the results of a head-to-head comparison sponsored by the maker of Stelara.

“Ustekinumab is a more effective and faster acting therapy for psoriasis than the current biologic market leader for this condition,” said lead researcher Dr. Christopher E.M. Griffiths, a professor of dermatology at the University of Manchester in England. Read More

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Placebo Effect Helps Some Psoriasis Patients

December 30, 2009

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 30 (HealthDay News) — Researchers have long wondered why placebos — fake medications — sometimes help sick patients get better.

Now, a new study says placebos can help psoriasis patients get by on smaller doses of a steroid drug that dampens their immune systems.

The study authors, from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, think they may be able to develop other treatments that rely on the placebo effect to boost the power of lower doses of existing drugs. Read More

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Stelara Approved for Psoriasis

September 28, 2009

FRIDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) — Stelara (ustekinumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

The immune system disorder is characterized by the rapid overproduction of skin cells, which leads to red, scaly patches of inflamed skin. Some six million people in the United States have plaque psoriasis, the FDA said in a news release. Read More

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Psoriasis Linked to Heart Disease, Stroke, and Early Death

June 15, 2009
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By Denise Mann

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. Read More

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Study Finds Multitude of Bacteria on Human Skin

May 29, 2009

THURSDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) — Should it worry you that there are 19 different species of bacteria living behind your ears?

Not especially, when you consider that there are 44 species thriving right out in the open on your forearm.

This information comes to you from scientists at the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute, who have used the same techniques that enabled them to map the human genetic makeup to identify all the bacteria living on human skin. Read More

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Psoriasis Patients Happy With Home-Based Treatment

May 8, 2009

THURSDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) — Home-based ultraviolet B (UVB) therapy for psoriasis is as effective and safe as outpatient phototherapy at a hospital, Dutch researchers report.

Receiving UVB treatment at a hospital can be difficult for patients with the chronic inflammatory skin condition because a course of treatment typically involves going to the hospital three times a week for eight to 10 weeks. In addition, many dermatologists believe home UVB treatment is inferior to, and carries more risks, than hospital treatment, even though there’s no evidence of that, the study authors noted. Read More

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Women with Psoriasis Have Higher Diabetes, High Blood Pressure Risk

April 20, 2009
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By Denise Mann

MONDAY, April 20, 2009 (Health.com) — Psoriasis may do more than wreak havoc on your skin. Those scaly, red patches are also associated with a higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, possibly due to the underlying inflammation that causes the skin problem.

Women with psoriasis are 63% more likely to develop diabetes, and 17% more likely to develop high blood pressure than their counterparts who do not have the common skin condition, according to a study in the April issue of the Archives of Dermatology. Read More

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New Drug May Help Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis

April 10, 2009

THURSDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) — The drug golimumab shows promise in treating psoriatic arthritis, according to a new study. Psoriatic arthritis affects about 11 percent of people with psoriasis.

The University of California, San Diego-led study included 405 patients who still had active psoriatic arthritis after taking anti-rheumatic drugs or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The patients were randomly selected to receive injections of either 50 or 100 milligrams of golimumab or placebo every four weeks for 24 weeks. Read More

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