Psoriasis linked to vascular disease (USA)

Patients with psoriasis are at increased risk for atherosclerosis and accompanying vascular diseases, researchers found. Among predominantly male patients at a Veterans Affairs medical center, the skin disease was associated with a greater likelihood of ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease, as well as death, according to Robert Kirsner, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Miami, and colleagues. "This result is not surprising, given the systemic nature of atherosclerosis," the researchers wrote in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology. - medpage Today