The Association Between Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Comorbidity: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease that extends beyond the skin and is increasingly recognized as a systemic disorder associated with multiple cardiometabolic comorbidities. Growing evidence indicates that patients with psoriasis, particularly those with moderate to severe disease, have an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including myocardial infarction, stroke, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular death. This narrative review summarizes the current evidence linking psoriasis with cardiovascular comorbidity, with emphasis on disease severity, systemic inflammation, psoriatic arthritis, pediatric psoriasis, and cardiovascular risk factors. The available literature suggests that mild psoriasis may not consistently increase cardiovascular event risk, whereas moderate to severe psoriasis is more frequently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Pediatric psoriasis has also been linked with obesity, hypertension, diabetes, arrhythmia, and other cardiovascular comorbidities. Shared inflammatory pathways, endothelial dysfunction, metabolic disturbances, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors appear to contribute to this association. These findings support the need to approach psoriasis as a systemic inflammatory disease requiring early cardiovascular risk assessment, lifestyle modification, and multidisciplinary management.