According to an abstract presented at the Society for Investigative Dermatology’s annual meeting, obese psoriasis patients face a greater risk of developing psoriatic arthritis. Researchers at the Utah Psoriasis Initiative found that a one-unit increase in body mass index (BMI) increased the risk of psoriatic arthritis by 5.4%. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight, and you can measure yours easily with this National Institutes of Health BMI calculator.
The study found that the higher one’s BMI at age 18, the more likely to develop psoriatic arthritis down the road. “Among patients with a BMI at [age] 18 of less than 25, 26.5% went on to develop psoriatic arthritis, compared to 35.4% of those with a BMI between 25 and 30, and 40% of those with a BMI over 40.” Someone is considered overweight with a BMI of 25 or greater, and obese with a BMI of 30 or greater. (One shortcoming of the study is that weight at age 18 was based on participants’ memories–an average of 30 years after the fact–rather than medical records.)
Of significant note is data in this study suggesting that psoriasis occurs before the onset of obesity. Other research has found the reverse. It is an important question that needs careful study to sort out. Does obesity make psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis more likely? Or do psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis lead to obesity by making exercise painful, and/or by depressing patients who then eat excessively, and/or by triggering internal body changes that make obesity more common? The interplay among psoriasis, obesity, heart disease and diabetes has major implications for people’s health and for health care costs nationwide. We need federal research to sort it all out. (MedPage Today noted that this study’s findings should be considered “preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.”)
Category: Psoriasis Research, Triggers/environment
Tags: obesity
