PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The skin disorder psoriasis appears to have an increased risk of death compared to those without the skin condition, a U.S. study of British data found.
The inflammatory condition that affects skin and joints has been associated with various other factors, including smoking, alcohol use and diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Dr. Joel M. Gelfand and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia, analyzed records of patients who visited general practitioners in the United Kingdom from 1987 and 2002.
The study identified 133,568 patients with mild psoriasis -- a diagnosis of psoriasis but no history of treatment for the condition and 3,951 patients with severe psoriasis -- diagnosis of psoriasis and medications or other therapies prescribed. These patients were matched with up to five control patients without psoriasis, mild psoriasis and severe psoriasis.
The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, found patients with severe psoriasis had a 50 percent increased risk of death compared with patients who didn't have psoriasis -- 21.3 deaths per 1,000 individuals per year versus 12 deaths per 1,000 individuals per year, respectively. Mild psoriasis was not associated with increased risk of death, Gelfand said.
