Psoriatic Arthritis Patients have More Heart Disease Save

A study of 90 consecutive male (50.3±11.1 years) with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) were were compared to 240 age matched controls without known cardiovascular (CV) diseases who underwent angiography for chest pain and/or multiple CV risk factors.

PsA patients had significantly more verall plaque (60% vs. 35%; p0.001), calcified plaque (32% vs. 17%; p=0.002),and non-calcified plaque (NCP) (43% vs, 22%; p0.001).

Similarly, 3-vessel disease was seen in 13% of PsA and 3% of controls (p0.001).

After adjusting for traditional CV risk factors, PsA remained an independent risk factor for all types of coronary plaques (OR: 2.730 to 4.064, all p0.001), 3 vessel disease (OR: 10.8, p0.001) and obstructive plaque (OR: 3.9, p=0.024).

Sixty percent of psoriatic arthritis patients had at least one coronary plaque, as compared with 35 percent of the other patients. In addition, the researchers found three-vessel disease in 13 percent of psoriatic arthritis patients, compared to 3 percent of controls, and they found that blood vessels had narrowed by more than 50 percent in 9 percent of patients with psoriatic arthritis, versus 3 percent of controls.

Men over age 55 with longer histories of psoriatic arthritis were more likely to have the plaques most commonly associated with heart problems.

Author stressed the need for early recognition and intervention to avoid comorbidities like coronary artery disease.