Patients suffering from psoriasis find it tedious to the daily chore of dealing with the condition symptoms and results of a recent study has added to their woes. The study has revealed that there is a link between psoriasis and two potentially serious medical conditions, atherosclerosis and diabetes.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition characterized by scaly, thick, and red plaques leading to bleeding and itching and thereby leading to discomfort and emotional stress for patients.

From Sciencedaily.com:

Specifically, the researchers noted that the association between diabetes and psoriasis was more prominent in women compared to men and in patients between the ages of 35 and 55. Similarly, the association between atherosclerosis and psoriasis was highest among women as compared with men and in patients between the ages of 35 and 55, and 65 and 75.

In addition, in patients with psoriasis, data analysis showed an association between diabetes and the overuse of extremely potent topical steroids or certain systemic medications for psoriasis. The researchers suggested that these observations could indicate that the prevalence of diabetes among psoriasis patients increases with the severity of psoriasis.

An association also was observed between the prevalence of atherosclerosis and the use of phototherapy, the medical light treatment administered by dermatologists for psoriasis. The researchers noted that it is possible that phototherapy is a marker for psoriasis severity rather than being the cause of atherosclerosis. Another possible explanation they offered is that phototherapy may be chosen as the treatment of choice for severe psoriasis patients who suffer from atherosclerosis rather than treating these patients with systemic medications.

Dermatologist Michael David, MD, Dermatology Department at Rabin Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, and his colleagues, noticed an increased occurrence of diabetes and atherosclerosis in psoriasis patients compared to patients without psoriasis.