Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease and is now known to be a systemic disease, instead of just being a cutaneous condition as it was considered earlier. Its association with heart disease and gastrointestinal disease such as inflammatory bowel disease is now recognised. A new study published in the journal Respiratory Medicine conducted a study with the aim to describe the features of lung involvement in patients with psoriasis with varying severity of the skin disease.¹

A team of researchers from Jordan, Qatar and USA recruited 59 patients with psoriasis with no history of respiratory symptoms or active lung disease. They underwent high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans of the chest to screen for subclinical pulmonary manifestations and changes in the lung parenchyma.

Nearly 80% (47/59) of the study participants were found to have abnormal findings on the HRCT scan. The most frequently reported lesions in the lungs were micronodules (66.1%), followed by nonspecific interstitial changes (32.2%), including scarring, focal ground-glass opacities and pleural-parenchymal band or atelectasis. Emphysematous changes and calcified granulomas were also found. Older patients and those with long-standing psoriasis were more likely to have these lung abnormalities. However, no correlation was noted for severity of the cutaneous manifestations.

These findings illustrate a link between lung pathology and psoriasis. Hence, physicians should screen patients with psoriasis for possible pulmonary involvement and address them accordingly, as needed. The authors have however called for “larger multicenter studies” to verify these findings.

Reference

1. Samrah SM, et al. Subclinical high-resolution chest CT scan features in psoriasis. Respir Med. 2023 Jun;212:107226. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2023.107226.