Psoriasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease association

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The inflammation that occurs with psoriasis can affect both lungs and raise therisk for chronic obstructive airway disease, and hence, pulmonary function should be studied inpatients with psoriasis.AIM OF THE WORK: The study aimed to detect the relationship between psoriasis and chronicobstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A case–control study was conducted at El‑Hussein University Hospital,Al‑Azhar University. Sixty patients with psoriasis and sixty control patients were involved in this study.Spirometry was performed in all the study patients.RESULTS: The present study included 60 psoriasis patients and age‑ and gender‑matched 60 controlsfulfilling inclusion criteria. No statistically significant differences were found between two groupsas regards age, gender, and residence. However, patients with psoriasis were significantly morefrequently smokers, overweight, obese, and diabetic. In addition, obstructive pulmonary functions weresignificantly higher among psoriasis patients. Overall, COPD was diagnosed in 10.0% of psoriasispatients compared with 5.0% of controls but with no statistically significant difference. The meanforced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity ratio and forced expiratory flow at 25%–75% weresignificantly lower in the psoriasis patients than in the controls (80.4 ± 5.6 vs. 93.1 ± 5.4, P < 0.001and 85.6 ± 9.1 vs. 95.5 ± 5.8, P < 0.001, respectively). Overweight, obese, and diabetic psoriasispatients were at increased risk of COPD than controls (odds ratio = 2.0, 2.5, and 1.7; 95% confidenceinterval, 0.89–4.45, 0.86–7.31, and 0.92–3.32), respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Psoriasis patients were likely to develop COPD.RECOMMENDATION: COPD should be screened by spirometry among psoriasis patients and advisethem to stop smoking and control weight and diabetes to reduce COPD development.