Psoriasis tied to elevated risk for mental disorders in Danish study

Takeaway

• Psoriasis is associated with a broad spectrum of mental disorders, including vascular dementia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and personality disorder, according to a Danish population study.

Why this matters

• This study supports earlier research linking psoriasis with mental disorders but includes a wider spectrum of psychiatric diseases.

Key results

• 5- and 10-year cumulative incidences of any mental disorder were 2.6% and 4.9%, respectively.
• Psoriasis was associated with increased risk for:
  • vascular dementia (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.21-2.47);
  • schizophrenia (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.01-2.65);
  • bipolar disorder (HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.59-3.41);
  • unipolar depression (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.49-1.98);
  • generalized anxiety disorder (HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.08-3.30);
  • personality disorders (HR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.55-2.73).
• Risk for mental disorders was higher in patients with short-term education (HR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.95-2.44) compared with patients with medium- (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.26-1.67) and long-term education (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.11-1.78).

Study design

• 13,675 patients with psoriasis were analyzed for mental disorder risk.
• Funding: Psoriasis Forskningsfonden.

Limitations

• Cross-sectional study of large registry.