Body mass index and psoriasis area and severity index relation in Turkish psoriasis population

Abstract

Background and Design:Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease affecting 1-3% of the general population. Recently, it has been suggested that chronic inflammation in psoriasis may cause metabolic and vascular disorders. Most of recent studies focused on the comorbidities and the mechanisms of comorbidities associated with psoriasis. Obesity may lead to cardiovascular disorders, diyabetes mellitus, hypertension, malignancies, musculoskeleteal system diseases, impaired quality of life, and death. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity in patients with psoriasis and the relationship between the disease severity and body mass index (BMI) in Turkish psoriasis population. Materials and Methods:The patients who attended the Dermatovenerology outpatient clinics at Bezmialem Vakıf University Medical Faculty between February 2007 and March 2013 were enrolled in the study. We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of the patients obtained from the PSR-TR psoriasis follow-up system. Results: Five hundred forty-five women and 474 men were included in the study. The mean age of the female and male patients was 41.3 years, 43.3 years, respectively. The mean body mass index of the patients was 27.5 (26.7 for men and 28.2 for women). 54.6% of obese patients had a psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score of less than 5, 20.5% had PASI scores between 5-10 and 24.8% had a PASI score of more than 10. Conclusion: In our study, there was a poor relationship between obesity and severity of psoriasis. The prevalence of obesity in psoriasis patients was similar to that in the Turkish population. (Turkderm 2014; 48: 127-30)