Co-occurrence of psoriasis and rheumatic diseases common

Psoriasis is associated with rheumatic diseases, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Mimi Chung, from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional cohort study using the U.S.-based racially and ethnically diverse All of Us national database to examine the association between psoriasis and rheumatic diseases. Rheumatic diseases of interest were identified in two cohorts: a psoriasis group with two or more diagnoses of psoriasis and a control group without a diagnosis of psoriasis.

The researchers identified a significant association for psoriasis with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), osteoarthritis, gout, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Sjogren syndrome, and systemic sclerosis. Due to clinical overlap between PsA and other rheumatic conditions, the percentage of PsA patients diagnosed with concomitant diseases was examined; common codiagnosis included osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia (47.6, 15.1, and 12.7 percent, respectively).

"Co-occurrence of psoriasis and rheumatic diagnoses may in part be due to common underlying mechanisms such as higher body mass index," the authors write. "Of note, however, [psoriasis] was associated with an increased odds of rheumatic disease compared to controls even after adjustment for body mass index."

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.