A number of studies have shown that there could be a relationship between psoriasis and hypertension; however, no meta-analysis has been restricted to that adjusted for confounders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between psoriasis and hypertension with modification for covariates.

A systematic literature search in the Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane databases, and Google Scholar was directed to recognize related studies that have reported the association of psoriasis with the risk of hypertension. Data analysis was conducted with Stata V.12, and Begg adjusted rank correlation test and Egger regression asymmetry test were also used to identify publication bias.

A total of 16 adjusted-for-covariates studies, comprising of 50,291 cases of hypertension in 255,132 psoriasis patients and 76,547 cases of hypertension in 814,631 controls (without psoriasis), were incorporated in this meta-analysis. The results of this meta-analysis showed that psoriasis was related with an increased risk of hypertension as compared to those without psoriasis. The prevalence of hypertension in severe psoriasis patients was higher than in mild psoriasis patients. Also, the risk of hypertension in psoriasis patients was much higher than in non-psoriasis patients in Europe and Asia.

The meta-analysis concluded that psoriasis was associated with an increased risk of hypertension as compared to those without psoriasis using the adjusted-for-covariates odds ratio.

Source: Duan X, Liu J, Mu Y, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between psoriasis and hypertension with adjustment for covariates. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020;99(9):e19303. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000019303