21 Apr 2009
Women with psoriasis may be more likely to develop diabetes and hypertension, new research has suggested.
Research published in the April edition of Archives of Dermatology discovered that women with psoriasis were 63 per cent more likely to develop diabetes and 17 per cent more likely to suffer from hypertension than women without the condition.
The study authors concluded that psoriasis should be considered as a systemic disorder "rather than simply a skin disease".
"Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these associations and to find out whether psoriasis therapy can reduce the risk for diabetes and hypertension," they explained.
The researchers said that inflammation could be "a biologically plausible explanation" for the apparent link between psoriasis and hypertension and psoriasis and diabetes.
Inflammation increases the risk of high blood pressure and is also thought to contribute to insulin resistance.
Psoriasis primarily affects adults and is equally prevalent in males and females.
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