A study has found a possible link between psoriasis and type 2 diabetes and extra weight.
Researchers in Denmark studying data from
about 34,000 sets of twins discovered type 2 diabetics were over 50 percent
more likely to have psoriasis versus people without diabetes.
The researchers also found that the
likelihood of psoriasis to be greater the more weight a person carried. In the
study, obese persons with a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 (over 30 is obese)
had about a 100 percent higher likelihood of suffering from psoriasis than
people of normal weight.
How is
Psoriasis and Type 2 Diabetes Connected?
Lead author of the study, Dr. Anne Sophie
Lonnberg of the University of Copenhagen admitted that “Psoriasis is a complex
disorder,” and that “The genetic background for the disease and its many
comorbidities [co-existing conditions] have not yet been fully uncovered,”
According to Healthday, “The study
authors suggested that genetics, smoking, drinking alcohol, or inflammation
might play a role.”
Lonnberg noted that this study cannot prove
or say what kind of link between psoriasis and type 2 diabetes exist, it only
demonstrates that there is some kind of connection. She also mentioned that the
link could exist in part due to similar genes.
She said, “The reason psoriasis and obesity
are associated is not only due to a common lifestyle, but they are also
associated due to common genes,” and that “It is important to treat
psoriasis and obesity and diabetes, since they are risk factors for heart
disease and could have serious effects on overall health.”
The
Study Details
Lonnberg and team checked data belonging to
about 34,000 twins between age 20 and 71 and found that 8 percent of the type 2
diabetics had psoriasis while 4 percent of the non-diabetics had psoriasis. The
researchers found that the sufferers of psoriasis were on average heavier and
more likely to have psoriasis if they were obese versus overweight.
The study included an assessment regarding
the pairs of twins in which one twin had psoriasis but the other did not. They
found that the twin with psoriasis tended to weigh more than the twin without
psoriasis.
Treating
Psoriasis Alongside Co-Existing Conditions
Dr. Joel Gelfand is an associate professor of
dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in
Philadelphia. He indicated that psoriasis goes beyond affecting the skin,
“Psoriasis is not just a disease of the skin — patients and health care
professionals need to be aware of systemic health issues associated with
psoriasis,” and he added to Healthday that
perhaps “chronic inflammation in psoriasis may predispose patients to
diabetes,”
Experts recommend that psoriasis needs to be
treated in a way that includes the known risk factors. People with psoriasis
should get tested for type 2 diabetes and strive for lifestyle changes that
might positively impact the underlying inflammation involved with all three
conditions–psoriasis, extra weight, and type 2 diabetes.
Then, it is important to seek healthcare
providers to help treat each condition in order to best care for the
whole.
Share Your View And Comment Below!!!
Post a comment