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Parkinsonism risk significant among patients with psoriasis
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Patients diagnosed with psoriasis had a significant risk for developing parkinsonism within 5 years of their diagnoses, according to study results.
Researchers in Taiwan collected data from a national health insurance program to study 4,885 patients with at least two diagnoses of psoriasis determined between 2001 and 2004, using the first diagnosis as an index date. Researchers also identified 24,425 patients without psoriasis, matched by sex, age, urbanization level and year of index date, as a control group. The mean age of the cohorts (59% men) was 46.5 years. To identify patients who later developed parkinsonism, each was followed for 5 years.
Adjusted HR for parkinsonism for the psoriasis cohort was 1.74 (95% CI, 1.35-2.23) compared with controls, when accounting for monthly income, ambulatory care visits and geographic location. Upon stratification by sex, risk for parkinsonism among men (aHR=1.78; 95% CI, 1.30-2.44) and women (aHR=1.66; 95% CI, 1.09-2.54) with psoriasis was similar during the 5-year follow-up.
Study limitations included that the data did not provide details on psoriasis severity or individual factors, including smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI and dietary patterns, the researchers said.
“Our population-based study found that psoriasis was significantly associated with an increased risk of parkinsonism during a 5-year follow-up period,” the researchers concluded. “We hope that the results of this study encourage clinicians treating patients with psoriasis to be sensitive to the issue of parkinsonism.”
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