Meta-Analysis Shows Bidirectional Link Between Psoriasis and Asthma

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis spanning 12.4 million patients found a significant bidirectional association between psoriasis and asthma. Researchers published their findings online in BMC Pulmonary Medicine.

“As a result [of the findings], clinicians should make patients aware of the connection between the two, particularly adolescents or patients with moderate to severe psoriasis who need to be informed about the rising likelihood of developing asthma,” wrote corresponding author Yanping Bai of China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, China, and study coauthors.

Patients in the meta-analysis were from a total 16 studies published between 2011 and 2023. Although previous studies have shown an increased risk of asthma in patients with psoriasis, researchers investigated whether the association actually extended both ways.

They found that patients with psoriasis had a higher risk of developing asthma (1.48 odds ratio), while patients with asthma had a higher overall risk of developing psoriasis (1.33 odds ratio), according to the study.

Among patients with psoriasis, the type of study, patient age, and the severity of psoriasis were significant factors in asthma risk, subgroup analysis showed.

“The risk of psoriasis in asthma and the risk of asthma in psoriasis are both significant, as shown in this systematic review and meta-analysis,” researchers wrote. “Consequently, patients with asthma should pay attention to the timely identification of psoriatic lesions because, according to the research available at the moment, there are similarities between the two pathogenic mechanisms. Nevertheless, more evidence is still required to support the recommendation that psoriasis patients with respiratory symptoms be tested for asthma.”

Reference

Wu D, Zhou X, Wu F, Cai R, Liu J, Bai Y. Association between psoriasis and asthma: a systematic review and bidirectional meta-analysis. BMC Pulm Med. 2024;24(1):293. doi: 10.1186/s12890-024-03078-7