Background: Patients with psoriasis are at risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and likely liver fibrosis.
Objective: Investigate the prevalence of NAFLD in patients with psoriasis and measure their risk of liver fibrosis.
Method: One hundred and twenty-four patients with psoriasis and 79 healthy controls were included in this cross-sectional study. NAFLD was diagnosed in the presence of characteristic sonographic features of fatty liver after excluding other secondary causes of chronic liver disease. NAFLD fibrosis score (NAFLD-FS) was scored in those with NAFLD to measure the risk of advanced liver fibrosis.
Results: Prevalence of NAFLD was greater in patients with psoriasis than in controls (44% vs. 26%, P < 0.001). NAFLD-FS was higher in patients with psoriasis than in controls, suggesting a higher risk of liver fibrosis in those with psoriasis (-1.57 ± 1.4 vs. -3.10 ± 1.5, mean ± SD, P < 0.0001). Psoriasis resulted in a significant predictor of advanced liver fibrosis independently of age, sex, BMI, hypertension and diabetes in the multivariate analysis.
Conclusions: Patients with psoriasis should be screened for common causes of liver disease, including NAFLD and liver fibrosis.
© 2015 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.