Association between psoriasis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity

Problem statementPsoriasis affects up to three percent of the global population. The study was conducted to find the association of hyperglycaemia, hypertension and obesity with psoriasis.MethodsIn this collaborative study conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in eastern India, 40 persons suffering from psoriasis, diagnosed at the Dermatology Outpatients, were compared with 40 analogous non-psoriatic patients recruited from Medicine Outpatients.ResultsAmong the psoriasis participants 27.50 percent of cases and 12.50 percent of controls had higher fasting blood glucose level [x2 = 2.813, P value = 0.0935] with overall male predominance. Significantly higher number of cases (35%) had post-prandial blood glucose value (>140 mg/dl) than controls (15.00%) [x2 = 4.267, P value = 0.038)]. Similarly, significantly higher number of cases (35.00%) had glycated haemoglobin value more than control group (15.00%) [x2 = 4.267, P value = 0.0388]. Systolic blood pressure was higher in psoriatic groups (25.00%) compared to controls (20.00%) [x2 = 0.287, P value = 0.592]; diastolic blood pressure was also higher in cases (27.50%) than in control (22.50%) [x2 = 0.267, P value = 0.606]. Body Mass Index was higher in 32.50 percent in cases and 52.50 percent in control groups. Waist circumference was more than 90 for 42.85 percent male and >80 for 36.84 percent female psoriatic patients and in controls it was 12.50 percent and 31.25 percent male and female respectively.ConclusionIn our study it was observed that psoriatic patients had higher concentrations of fasting glucose, post-prandial glucose, glycated haemoglobin percentage and higher waist circumference.