Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb;29(2):270-277.
doi: 10.1111/jdv.12516. Epub 2014 Apr 21.

Epicardial adipose tissue and coronary artery calcification in psoriasis patients

T Torres  1   2 , N Bettencourt  3 , D Mendonça  4 , C Vasconcelos  2   5 , V Gama  3 , B M Silva  2   6 , M Selores  1
Affiliations

Epicardial adipose tissue and coronary artery calcification in psoriasis patients

T Torres et al. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disease associated with several cardio-metabolic comorbidities, accelerated atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Other causes beyond systemic inflammation and traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) may be implicated in the increased risk of CVD observed in these patients. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), a type of visceral adipose tissue surrounding the heart and coronary vessels has been implicated in the development of coronary artery disease, by endocrine mechanisms, but particularly by local inflammation.

Objective: To compare EAT volumes in psoriasis patients and controls using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and to analyse if eventual differences were independent from abdominal visceral adiposity; to determine, within psoriasis patients, its relation with subclinical atherosclerosis and other markers of cardiometabolic risk.

Methods: One hundred patients with severe psoriasis, without CVD underwent MDCT, with EAT and abdominal visceral fat (AVF) assessment and coronary artery calcification (CAC) quantification and were compared with 202 control patients.

Results: EAT volume was increased in psoriasis patients compared to control subjects, independently from age, sex and AVF, being, on average, 15.2 ± 4.41 mL higher (95% CI: 6.5-26.0, P = 0.001) than in controls. Moreover, psoriasis patients had a statistically significant higher risk of having subclinical atherosclerosis (OR 2.52, 95% CI: 1.23-5.16) than controls, after adjusting for traditional CVRF. Within psoriasis patients EAT volume was associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, independently of age, sex, psoriasis duration, classical CVRF and AVF.

Conclusion: This study showed that psoriasis was associated with increased EAT volume independently of visceral abdominal fat and with subclinical atherosclerosis. Within psoriasis patients EAT volume was independently associated with CAC. EAT may be another important contributor to the higher cardiovascular risk observed in psoriasis.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Gudjonsson JE, Elder JT. Psoriasis: epidemiology. Clin Dermatol 2007; 25: 535-546.
    1. Reich K. The concept of psoriasis as a systemic inflammation: implications for disease management. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2012; 26: 3-11.
    1. Prey S, Paul C, Bronsard V et al. Cardiovascular risk factors in patients with plaque psoriasis: a systematic review of epidemiological studies. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2010; 24: 23-30.
    1. Miller IM, Ellervik C, Yazdanyar S et al. Meta-analysis of psoriasis, cardiovascular disease, and associated risk factors. J Am Acad Dermatol 2013; 69: 1014-1024.
    1. Horreau C, Pouplard C, Brenaut E et al. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: a systematic literature review. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2013; 27: 12-29.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources