People who suffer from severe psoriasis die younger than people who don't have the condition or who have mild forms of it, say researchers. But the reasons are unclear.
Psoriasis is a common but incurable disorder that commonly causes red scaly patches on the skin. It can also cause inflammation of the joints, which is known as psoriatic arthritis.
The condition can cause significant physical discomfort and can interfere with such basic functions as sleep, work and self-care. Now, new research published in the Archives of Dermatology says the condition is also associated with an increased risk of death.
Dr. Joel Gelfand of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia reviewed the health records of thousands of people in the United Kingdom between 1987 and 2002, looking at patients with both severe and mild forms of psoriasis.
They found that men with severe psoriasis died an average of 3.5 years earlier than men without the condition, while women with severe psoriasis died 4.4 years earlier than psoriasis-free women.
Mild psoriasis was not associated with an increased risk of death.
Gelfand says much more research is needed to understand the link.
His team notes that psoriasis has been associated with smoking, alcohol use, obesity, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, all of which could affect death rates. As well, certain medications for psoriasis may be associated with death, due to cumulative drug toxicity or bad reactions.
"Severe psoriasis itself can lead to death in very rare instances," the authors add.
Further studies are needed to determine the cause of the increased death risk, how the severity of the disease affects death risk, and whether the risk of death in patients with severe psoriasis is affected by the therapies they choose.
