Psoriasis Health Center

Psoriasis Linked to Hypertension, Diabetes

Second Opinion

The new study adds to the credibility of the link between psoriasis and other disorders, according to William H. Eaglstein, MD, emeritus chair of the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery in the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. Eaglstein wrote an editorial about the Qureshi study and other research. 

The follow-up design was important to find the link, he tells WebMD, as was the large sample size. "The size was probably needed to make the connection," he says.

Whether the link is due to inflammation alone or something else combined with the inflammation is not known, says Eaglstein, who is also vice president of global medical science for Stiefel Laboratories Inc., a pharmaceutical company that makes skin care products.

Until more is known about the link between psoriasis, diabetes, and blood pressure problems, he says, "The take-home message is that both patients and physicians should be alert to the possibility."