Depression Increases Risk for Psoriatic Arthritis in Patients with Psoriasis

According to a new study, depression was associated with an increased the risk of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with psoriasis.

After recent studies demonstrated an association between systemic inflammation and depression, the researchers hypothesized that major depressive disorder would increase the risk for PsA in patients with psoriasis.
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Researchers identified 73,447 patients with psoriasis using the Health Improvement Network, and followed up with patients for 25 years or until they developed PsA. Incidences of depression were documented, and cox-proportional hazards models were used to examine the association between depression and PsA.

Their findings showed that patients with psoriasis who developed depression had a significantly higher risk for developing PsA compared to patients without depression. The association between depression and PsA in patients with psoriasis remained high even after researchers accounted for numerous covariates and performed sensitivity analyses. 

“This study highlights important considerations for clinicians, who should exercise heightened awareness and primary prevention strategies for [major depressive disorder] among patients with psoriasis, as [major depressive disorder] appears to significantly increase the risk of developing PsA,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Lewinson RT, Vallerand IA, Lowerison MW, et al. Depression is associated with an increased risk of psoriatic arthritis among patients with psoriasis: a population-based study [published online February 22, 2017]. JID. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2016.11.032.