Psoriasis and risk of venous thromboembolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Several chronic inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, have been shown to increase venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk but the data on psoriasis is unclear. METHODS We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies that reported odds ratio, relative risk, hazard ratio or standardized incidence ratio comparing VTE risk in patients with psoriasis vs. non-psoriasis participants. Pooled risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random effect, generic inverse variance method. RESULT Four studies were identified and included in our data analysis. The pooled risk ratio of VTE in patients with psoriasis was 1.46 (95% CI, 1.29-1.66). The statistical heterogeneity of this meta-analysis was high with an I(2) of 86%. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated a statistically significant increased VTE risk among patients with psoriasis.