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. 2025 Aug 12;30(1):739.
doi: 10.1186/s40001-025-03002-7.

Association between metabolic score for visceral fat and psoriasis: findings from NHANES

Xinyi Shao #  1 , Yi Ou #  1 , Qian Liu  1 , Yidian Fu  2 , Yan Pan  3 , Aijun Chen  4 , Genlong Bai  5 , Jingbo Zhang  6
Affiliations

Association between metabolic score for visceral fat and psoriasis: findings from NHANES

Xinyi Shao et al. Eur J Med Res. .

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a persistent inflammatory skin condition. Several studies have revealed that obesity significantly contributes to both the initiation and advancement of psoriasis. The metabolic score for visceral fat (METS-VF) represents an innovative measure designed to forecast visceral obesity, integrating factors such as insulin resistance metabolic score, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), age, and gender. The present study aimed to investigate the association between METS-VF and psoriasis prevalence, using information gathered from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Methods: This study utilized the data from a nationally representative cohort of 8023 adults from NHANES from 2003-2006 to 2009-2014, of which 234 declared a psoriasis history. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were used to investigate the association between METS-VF and psoriasis, followed by subgroup analysis to identify populations that may exhibit higher sensitivity.

Results: After adjusting for confounding variables, the results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant positive association between METS-VF and the risk of psoriasis. One-unit increasement in METS-VF corresponded to a 47% rise in psoriasis risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.10-1.96). Finally, the results were uniform across all subgroups (P for interaction > 0.05). The results from the RCS analysis indicated a notable linear association.

Conclusion: This research indicated that elevated levels of METS-VF are linked to a higher occurrence of psoriasis, suggesting the potential of METS-VF as a predictive anthropometric index for assessing the risk of developing psoriasis.

Keywords: Cross-sectional study; Metabolic score for visceral fat; NHANES; Psoriasis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The NHANES protocol received approval from the NCHS and the Ethics Review Board, and all participants provided written informed consent. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the inclusion and exclusion process for participants in the NHANES database from 2003 to 2006 and 2009 to 2014. METS-VF metabolic score for visceral fat, NHANES National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The dose–response associations between the METS-VF and psoriasis. The solid blue line represents the estimates for the association of METS-VF with psoriasis, and shaded area is the 95% CI
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Stratified analysis of the association between METS-VF and psoriasis in adults in the NHANES 2003–2006 and 2009–2014
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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