Collaborative research from Perelman School of Medicine at theUniversity of Pennsylvania has shown that psoriasis patients have an increased risk of heart attack , stroke and cardiovascular death, especially if the psoriasis is moderateto severe. Now, Penn researchers have discovered the potentialunderlying mechanism by which the inflammatory skin disease impactscardiovascular health. In two new studies presented at the 2011American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Penn researchersshow that the systemic inflammatory impact of psoriasis may alterboth the makeup of cholesterol particles and numbers, as well as impair the function of highdensity lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol. "Anecdotally, many researchers have observed that HDL levels may belower in states of inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis , psoriasis and even obesity ," said lead study author Nehal Mehta, MD, MSCE, director ofInflammatory Risk in Preventive Cardiology at Penn. "However, thesenew findings suggest that in addition to lower levels, chronicinflammation associated with conditions like psoriasis may changethe composition and decrease the function of HDL as well." In the current studies, researchers enrolled 78 patients withpsoriasis and 84 control subjects. In the first study, the authorsmeasured fasting lipid levels and examined the number and size ofcholesterol particles using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)spectroscopy. This analysis revealed that patients with psoriasishad a higher number of smaller LDL particles, or "bad" cholesterol,which was independent of traditional risk factors and obesity. "Itwas striking that the NMR profiles from patients with psoriasisresembled those seen in patients with diabetes , and that these patients with psoriasis had otherwise normaltraditional lipid panels" Dr. Mehta added. In the second study, the researchers measured HDL efflux, which isthe ability of a patient's HDL to remove cholesterol from cellsinvolved in atherosclerosis. This process, known as 'reversecholesterol transport', is why HDL may have protective properties.In a previous study, researchers at Penn have demonstrated thatmeasuring HDL efflux capacity may be a more effective barometer ofprotection from heart disease than measuring HDL levels alone. In this same group of patients who had normal cholesterol levelscompared to controls, patients with psoriasis demonstrateddramatically reduced HDL efflux capacity compared to controlpatients. This negative association observed between psoriasis andHDL efflux persisted after adjusting for traditional lipid levelsand other traditional risk factors, including body mass index(BMI). "Patients with psoriasis had an approximate 25 percent reduction inthe HDL efflux capacity than the controls, despite their relativelynormal overall lipid profiles which leads to the question ofwhether function is more important than concentration in chronicinflammatory states" Dr. Mehta noted. The new findings may provide a critical clue to the link betweenpsoriasis and heart disease, but the researchers say larger studiesare needed to validate their findings. Joel M. Gefland, MD, MSCE,assistant professor of Dermatology and Epidemiology, and a seniorauthor on the studies, said "We've been able to show that psoriasisis an important risk factor for vascular disease, and now we mayfinally be able to identify and ultimately treat the pathways bywhich psoriasis increases these risks." Additional References Citations. I am an expert from largeledscreens.com, while we provides the quality product, such as LED Screen Rental , Outdoor LED Video Screens, Concert LED Screens,and more.
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