Self-reported depression in psoriasis is associated with subclinical vascular diseases

Epidemiology of mental health comorbidity in patients with psoriasis: An analysis of trends from 1986 to 2019

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and suicide has increased in patients with psoriasis, although no study has systematically analyzed the epidemiology worldwide.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the prevalence and incidence of psoriasis with comorbid mental disorders (i.e., depression, anxiety, and suicide).

METHODS

Five databases from establishment through May 2022 were searched. Stata SE 15.1 was used for the data analysis. Subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate the heterogeneity of pooled studies.

RESULTS

We evaluated 56 studies in our research. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicide in adults with psoriasis was 20%, 21%, and 0.77%. Patients with psoriasis in North America had a higher prevalence of depression and suicide, whereas those in South America had a higher prevalence of anxiety. The incidence of depression, anxiety, and suicide was 42.1, 24.7, and 2.6 per 1000 person-years in adults with psoriasis, respectively.

LIMITATIONS

All of the included studies were published in Chinese and English, causing a degree of selection bias.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate the incidence and prevalence of comorbid mental disorders in patients with psoriasis, which may raise awareness among physicians and patients regarding the mental problems associated with psoriasis.

Analysis of the Potential Genetic Links between Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Cardiovascular risk factors are one of the most common comorbidities in psoriasis. A higher prevalence of hypertension, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, metabolic syndrome, depression, as well as cardiovascular disease was confirmed in psoriatic patients in comparison to the general population. Data suggest that psoriasis and systemic inflammatory disorders may originate from the pleiotropic interactions with many genetic pathways. In this review, the authors present the current state of knowledge on the potential genetic links between psoriasis and cardiovascular risk factors. The understanding of the processes linking psoriasis with cardiovascular risk factors can lead to improvement of psoriasis management in the future.

What Factors Influence on Dermatology-Related Life Quality of Psoriasis Patients in South Korea?

This descriptive study aimed to identify factors that can influence the quality of life of psoriasis patients. A total of 118 psoriasis outpatients completed a questionnaire consisting of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory (PLSI), Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale-Community form (MUIS-C), Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), and Self-Reported Severity Score (SRSS). The Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) was calculated. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and stepwise multiple regression using SPSS/WIN 26.0. The average score of the DLQI was 14.19 ± 6.83 (range 0–30); the DLQI showed statistically significant differences according to age (F = 4.02, p = 0.021) and smoking type (F = 7.49, p = 0.001). The dermatology-related quality of life was significantly affected by psoriasis-related stress (β = 0.37, p < 0.001), depression (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), and subjective severity (β = 0.19, p = 0.005); these variables explained 60.7% of the variance in the dermatology-related quality of life (F = 61.34, p < 0.001). The results demonstrated that psoriasis-related stress, depression, and perceived severity of psoriasis should be considered when developing nursing interventions to improve patients’ quality of life.

Relationship between chronic stress-related neural activity, physiological dysregulation and coronary artery disease in psoriasis: Findings from a longitudinal observational cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Amygdalar 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake represents chronic stress-related neural activity and associates with coronary artery disease by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Allostatic load score is a multidimensional measure related to chronic physiological stress which incorporates cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammatory indices. To better understand the relationship between chronic stress-related neural activity, physiological dysregulation and coronary artery disease, we studied the association between amygdalar FDG uptake, allostatic load score and subclinical non-calcified coronary artery burden (NCB) in psoriasis.

METHODS

Consecutive psoriasis patients (n = 275 at baseline and n = 205 at one-year follow-up) underwent CCTA for assessment of NCB (QAngio, Medis). Amygdalar FDG uptake and allostatic load score were determined using established methods.

RESULTS

Psoriasis patients were middle-aged, predominantly male and white, with low cardiovascular risk by Framingham risk score and moderate-severe psoriasis severity. Allostatic load score associated with psoriasis severity (β = 0.17, p = 0.01), GlycA (a systemic marker of inflammation, β = 0.49, p < 0.001), amygdalar activity (β = 0.30, p < 0.001), and NCB (β = 0.39; p < 0.001). Moreover, NCB associated with amygdalar activity in participants with high allostatic load score (β = 0.27; p < 0.001) but not in those with low allostatic load score (β = 0.07; p = 0.34). Finally, in patients with an improvement in allostatic load score at one year, there was an 8% reduction in amygdalar FDG uptake (p < 0.001) and a 6% reduction in NCB (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

In psoriasis, allostatic load score represents physiological dysregulation and may capture pathways by which chronic stress-related neural activity associates with coronary artery disease, emphasizing the need to further study stress-induced physiological dysregulation in inflammatory disease states.

Beyond skin deep: addressing comorbidities in psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that is commonly encountered in primary care and is associated with significant morbidity that extends beyond the skin manifestations. Psoriasis is associated with an elevated risk of psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, obesity, insulin resistance, mental health disorders, certain types of malignancy, inflammatory bowel disease and other immune-related disorders, and hepatic and renal disease. Enhanced recognition of these comorbidities may lead to earlier diagnosis and potentially better overall health outcomes. Psoriatic nail involvement, severe skin disease and obesity are associated with a greater risk of psoriatic arthritis. Individuals with psoriasis should be routinely screened for psoriatic arthritis to allow for early intervention to improve long term prognosis. Life expectancy is reduced in people with psoriasis due to a variety of causes, with cardiovascular disease and malignancy being the most common aetiologies. Psoriasis affects several factors that contribute to worsened quality of life and increased risk of depression and anxiety. Effective therapies are now available that have been shown to concurrently improve skin disease, quality of life and psychiatric symptoms. As the concordance between psychosocial impact and objective disease severity does not always correlate, it is essential to tailor management strategies specifically to the needs of each individual. Cigarette smoking and excess alcohol consumption are among the most important modifiable risk factors that increase the likelihood of psoriasis development and severity of skin disease. This provides a compelling rationale for smoking cessation and limiting alcohol intake in people with psoriasis beyond their traditional harmful health consequences.

Quality of life, anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with psoriasis: A case-control study

OBJECTIVE

To compare quality of life (QoL), anxiety and depressive symptoms, alcohol consumption and other correlates between patients with psoriasis and controls; and to identify features of psoriasis associated with lower levels of QoL.

METHOD

Case-control study including 70 subjects with moderate-severe psoriasis and 140 controls without psoriasis. All participants answered the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), with physical and mental component scores of quality of life, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Among subjects with psoriasis, the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were used, respectively, to measure the severity of psoriasis and the impact of psoriasis on the specific quality of life.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, patients with psoriasis showed higher HADS depression score and alcohol consumption, and lower QoL. Among subjects with psoriasis, multivariate analysis showed: 1) poorer physical QoL was associated with older age, articular lesions and anxious symptoms, whereas poorer mental QoL was associated with younger age, female sex, genital lesions and depressive symptoms; 2) the higher the severity of psoriasis, the lower the level of QoL and the higher the levels of anxious or depressive symptoms; and 3) female sex and articular or genital location of lesions are linked with higher HADS scores.

CONCLUSION

Higher scores in anxiety and depression and lower QoL is common in psoriasis, especially among women and those with genital or articular lesions. Dermatologists should give special attention to this subgroup of persons with psoriasis in order to prevent future psychopathology.

Joint AAD-NPF guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with awareness and attention to comorbidities

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem disease that affects up to 3.2% of the US population. This guideline addresses important clinical questions that arise in psoriasis management and care, providing recommendations on the basis of available evidence.

Chronic Stress-Related Neural Activity Associates With Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Psoriasis: A Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

This study hypothesized that there is an association between chronic stress (as indexed by resting amygdalar activity [AmygA]), hematopoietic system activity (HMPA), and subclinical cardiovascular indexes (aortic vascular inflammation [VI] and noncalcified coronary plaque burden [NCB]) in psoriasis (PSO). The study also hypothesized that treatment of PSO would improve these parameters.

BACKGROUND

PSO is a stress-related chronic inflammatory condition that is associated with increased prevalence of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). In individuals without PSO, stress has been linked to CVD through a serial biological pathway that involves the amygdala, hematopoietic tissues, and atherosclerotic plaques.

METHODS

A total of 164 consecutive patients with PSO and 47 healthy volunteers underwent 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography scans for assessment of AmygA, HMPA, and VI, as well as coronary computed tomography angiography scans for quantifying NCB. Furthermore, a consecutive subset of 30 patients with severe PSO (Psoriasis Area Severity Index Score >10) were followed at 1 year to assess the relationship between skin disease improvement and AmygA, HMPA, VI, and NCB.

RESULTS

The PSO cohort was middle-aged (mean age: 50 years), had low cardiovascular risk (Framingham risk score: median: 3) and had mild to moderate PSO activity (median Psoriasis Area Severity Index Score: 5.6). AmygA was higher in patients with PSO compared to volunteer participants. AmygA was associated with HMPA (bone marrow activity: β = 0.20, p = 0.01) and subclinical CVD (VI: β = 0.31, p < 0.001; NCB: β = 0.27, p < 0.001) The AmygA-CVD association was in part mediated by HMPA (VI: 20.9%, NCB: 36.7%). Following 1 year of PSO treatment in those with severe disease, improvement in skin disease was accompanied by a reduction in AmygA, bone marrow activity, and VI, with no progression of NCB.

CONCLUSIONS

In PSO, a chronic inflammatory disease state, AmygA, which is a manifestation of chronic stress, substantially contributes to the risk of subclinical CVD. Additional studies that use psychometric measures of stress are required to explore therapeutic impact.

Improvement of depressive symptoms in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis treated with ustekinumab: an open label trial validated using beck depression inventory, Hamilton depression rating scale measures and 18fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease associated with psychiatric co-morbidities, especially depression. Early detection of psychological vulnerability in patients with psoriasis seems to be of great clinical importance and significantly impacts the quality of life of the patients.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to clarify the association between psoriasis and depressive symptoms in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, and to determine the risk factors for depressive symptoms and analyze the effect of ustekinumab on the symptoms. We also aimed to evaluate the changes in glucose metabolism using ¹⁸fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).

METHODS

Fifteen patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis scheduled to be treated with ustekinumab were enrolled. At baseline and after achieving a 75% reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score (PASI75), all patients underwent a psychiatric interview and FDG-PET. Fifteen healthy volunteers were enrolled for comparison.

RESULTS

Patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were more depressed than those in the control group were (p < .05). The severity of psoriasis at baseline did not correlate with the depression symptoms. Treatment with ustekinumab significantly reduced the depressive symptoms, as verified using Beck Depression Inventory and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale psychiatric interviews (p < .05). However, FDG-PET of the brain showed no significant difference before and after PASI75 achievement using ustekinumab injection.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis are at an increased risk for depressive symptoms, and treatment with ustekinumab may be beneficial. FDG-PET does not reflect the changes in depressive symptoms in such patients.

Depression Is Associated With More Aggressive Inflammatory Bowel Disease

OBJECTIVES

Depression is prevalent in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The impact of depression on IBD is not well-studied. It is unknown how providers should assess depression.

METHODS

We used data from the Sinai-Helmsley Alliance for Research Excellence cohort, to assess methods of diagnosing depression and effects of baseline depression on disease activity at follow-up. A patient health questionnaire (PHQ-8) score ≥5 was consistent with mild depression. Relapse was defined as a modified Harvey-Bradshaw Index ≥5 or Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index >2. We performed binomial regression to calculate adjusted risk ratios (RRs).

RESULTS

We included 2,798 Crohn's disease (CD) patients with 22-month mean follow-up and 1,516 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients with 24-month mean follow-up. A total of 64% of CD patients and 45% of UC patients were in remission at baseline. By self-report, 20% of CD and 14% of UC patients were depressed. By PHQ-8, 38% of CD and 32% of UC patients were depressed (P<0.01). Adjusted for sex, remission, and disease activity, CD patients with baseline depression were at an increased risk for relapse (RR: 2.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9-2.8), surgery, or hospitalization (RR: 1.3 95% CI: 1.1-1.6) at follow-up. UC patients with baseline depression were also at increased risk for relapse (RR: 1.3; 95% CI: 0.9-1.7), surgery, or hospitalization (RR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.1-1.5) at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Baseline depression is associated with a higher risk for aggressive IBD at follow-up. A single question is not a sensitive method of assessing depression. Providers should consider administering the PHQ-8 to capture those at greater risk for aggressive disease.

Interleukin-17 alters the biology of many cell types involved in the genesis of psoriasis, systemic inflammation and associated comorbidities

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated, systemic inflammatory disease that is defined by a characteristic skin reaction produced when elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-17 alter the growth and differentiation of skin cells. The pathogenesis of comorbid conditions associated with psoriasis, including psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, liver disorders, renal disease and depression, is also largely affected by inflammation. In this review, we examine the effect of IL-17 on the inflammatory pathways in a variety of different cell types, including keratinocytes, as well as epithelial cells of the colon, kidney, gut and liver. Additionally, we investigate the role of IL-17 in mediating the psoriasis-associated comorbidities detailed above.

Cardiometabolic Comorbidities in Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

There is solid epidemiologic evidence linking psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) to cardiovascular risk factors and an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Chronic inflammation, with shared pathways and cytokines common to metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and psoriasis, might provide the basis for the cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities of psoriasis and PsA. The purpose of this manuscript is to review recent evidence about the epidemiology and underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease in patients with psoriasis and/or PsA; the use of analytical determinations, physiologic measures and imaging techniques as surrogate biomarkers of atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease in these patients; and the epidemiological and clinical data, including results of clinical trials, supporting a cardioprotective role of anti-inflammatory and disease-modifying treatment in psoriasis and PsA.

Endothelial function is impaired in the cutaneous microcirculation of adults with psoriasis through reductions in nitric oxide-dependent vasodilation

Psoriasis is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Deficits in conduit arterial function are evident in patients with psoriasis, but potential impairments in microcirculatory endothelial function remain unclear. We hypothesized that cutaneous microvascular dysfunction would be detectable in otherwise healthy individuals with psoriasis. Two intradermal microdialysis fibers were placed in (nonlesional) forearm skin of nine patients (3 men and 6 women, 39 ± 5 yr) with moderate (16 ± 2% of body surface area) plaque psoriasis and nine healthy (nonpsoriatic) control subjects (3 men and 6 women, 38 ± 5 yr) for local delivery of 1) lactated Ringer solution (control) and 2) 10 mM l-ascorbate (a nonspecific antioxidant). An index of skin blood flow was measured using laser-Doppler flowmetry during local heating (42°C). Nitric oxide (NO)-dependent vasodilation was directly quantified after perfusion of the nonspecific NO synthase inhibitor N^G-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (15 mM). A third fiber was perfused with increasing concentrations (10^-10 - 10^-2 M) of norepinephrine to elicit adrenoreceptor-mediated cutaneous vasoconstriction. NO-dependent vasodilation was attenuated in patients with psoriasis (57 ± 5% and 39 ± 7% maximum cutaneous vascular conductance in control subjects and adults with psoriasis, respectively, P < 0.01). l-Ascorbate did not improve NO-dependent vasodilation ( P > 0.05). There was no group difference in maximal vasoconstriction or microvascular sensitivity to norepinephrine ( P > 0.05). These data suggest that NO bioavailability is reduced in otherwise healthy individuals with psoriasis, which contributes to systemic microvascular dysfunction. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In adults with psoriasis, reduced nitric oxide bioavailability mediates impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation, independent of increases in oxidative stress. Furthermore, the degree of psoriatic symptomology is directly related to greater reductions in nitric oxide-dependent vasodilation.

Exploring the path between depression, anxiety and 10-year cardiovascular disease incidence, among apparently healthy Greek middle-aged adults: The ATTICA study

OBJECTIVES

Although there is substantial evidence that psychological factors play an important role in the onset and course of cardiovascular disease (CVD), less is known about their combined effect and the pathways by which they affect cardiovascular health. The present work aimed to prospectively explore the effects of depression and anxiety on the 10-year CVD incidence, in relation to other lifestyle determinants, as linking factors in the context of the ATTICA study. Study design/Main outcome measures: The ATTICA study is a population-based, health and nutrition prospective cohort study (2002-2012), during which 853 middle-aged participants without a history of CVD [453 men (aged 45±13years) and 400 women (aged 44±18years)], underwent psychological evaluations at enrollment. The latent trait of depression and anxiety combined measure was estimated and referred as "Psychological distress"; path analysis was applied to describe the relationships among the different factors.

RESULTS

"Psychological distress" was positively associated with the 10-year CVD incidence (adjusted OR per 10 units: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.7). Three linking pathways were revealed: sedentariness, inflammation and metabolic syndrome. Moreover, "Psychological distress" mediated the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and CVD, with participants of low SES scoring higher on the psychological measure (adjusted linear regression coefficient b: -7.1, 95% CI: -9.7, -4.5).

CONCLUSIONS

Lifestyle and clinical factors seem to link psychological distress with CVD development. Joint psychological assessments should be considered for inclusion in CVD preventive strategies, which should incorporate interventions for interrupting the linking pathways.