Serum lipid levels in psoriasis.

A predisposition to occlusive vascular diseases has been reported in patients with psoriasis and it has been suggested that some of these patients have some disorders of lipid metabolism. In this study, serum lipid levels were investigated in psoriatic patients to explore to the knowledge of this relationship. One hundred psoriatic patients and 100 non- psoriatic controls were included in the study. Total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol), and very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-cholesterol) levels were measured. In patients with psoriasis, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels were found to be significantly higher than those of controls. No significant differences were found in the other parameters. We concluded that psoriatic patients should be evaluated and followed up for the risk of hyperlipidemia and obstructive vascular diseases.