Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disease. Psoriatic arthritis is a common coexisting condition. Cardiorespiratory fitness is the overall capacity to perform exertion exercise. Low levels of aerobic fitness have been linked with negative health outcomes. People with psoriasis have lower cardiorespiratory fitness compared with individuals without psoriasis. There are no prior studies that explore the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and new-onset psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Symptoms Of Psoriasis
Psoriasis signs as well as symptoms can vary from person to person. Common signs and symptoms include the following:
- Red patches of skin which are coated with thick, silvery scales,
- Small scaling spots (which are commonly seen in children),
- Dry, cracked skin which may bleed or itch,
- Itching, burning or soreness,
- Thickened, pitted or ridged nails, and
- Swollen and stiff joints.
Scaly Skin Patches
Some 300 000 Swedes suffer from psoriasis in a mild, moderate, or severe form. It is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease which affects women as often as men. What triggers its onset is not completely clear, however heredity is known to play a large part in combination with external factors. The most common type, plaque psoriasis, results in reddened, flaking, and itchy skin lesions (“plaques”).
Psoriasis sufferers also often have other diseases. Some 30% get the inflammatory joint condition known as psoriatic arthritis. Instances of other known comorbidities are obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes as well as depression.
In recent years, treatment alternatives have substantially improved. Today, in addition to ointments with local effects, there are drugs that have systemic effects. Additionally, recent years have seen the emergence of effective biological agents which modulate the signalling cascade in the inflammatory process which drives psoriasis.
New Findings
A new report includes the case that psoriasis entails systemic inflammation which can lead to cardiovascular comorbidities. The study, that was published in Scientific Reports, found that patients with psoriatic arthritis suffered from elevated levels of circulating inflammatory molecules and changed haemostatic function. The investigators reported that patients with serious psoriatic disease should therefore have their haemostatic function monitored carefully.
Investigators explained that a variety of factors are believed to play a role in the development of psoriatic diseases such as psoriatic arthritis. Overproduction of T helper 1 and 17 cytokines are commonplace in patients with psoriasis. Inflammatory mediators – consisting of interferon-α, interleukin-22 (IL-22), the IL-23/IL-27 axis as well as tumour necrosis factor – are likewise believed to play a role in the disease. In addition, patients who suffer from psoriasis have higher rates of depression, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease as well as other comorbidities.
Seeing these observations, a paradigm shift has occurred from viewing psoriasis merely as ‘skin deep’ to a systemic inflammatory condition.
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