Psoriasis and Comorbidities

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease which is a result of complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. Psoriasis is now accepted as a systemic disorder accompanied by comorbidities rather than simply a cutaneous disease. Psoriasis has been associated with a number of systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular mortality, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, pulmonary disease, psychiatric disorders, and malignancies referred to as comorbidities. Although the causal relationship between comorbidities and psoriasis has not been completely clarified yet, it seems that shared genetic susceptibility, common environmental factors, and/or overlapping inflammatory pathways may be potential biological links underlying this association. The presence of comorbid diseases is important since it is associated with a significantly reduced life span and a significant deterioration in life quality. It is also important to keep in mind that the comorbidities and drugs used to treat them have an impact on the choice of antipsoriatic treatment. Besides, systemic treatment of psoriasis with certain drugs may impact the comorbid conditions. Therefore, it is necessary for physicians to recognise these concomitant diseases early and to arrange management options. In this article, the current literature about psoriasis-associated comorbidities and treatment approaches will be discussed.