A recent study involving 4.5 million people has indicated that people who suffer from the skin condition psoriasis are also at a greater risk of suffering a stroke and abnormal heart rhythm.
The Danish researchers suggest that the link may exist because of the similar sources of inflammation the the skin and blood vessels share.
Psoriasis causes the skin cells to renew at a greater rate than normal. This causes the skin to break out in red, flaky and crusty patches as the cells renew every two to six days. The cause of the condition is unknown, but it affects approximately 2% of the UK population.
The research team studied data from the population of Denmark during the period from 1997 to 2006. Just under 40,000 people suffered from the condition, the majority suffering from a mild form of psoriasis and under 3,000 who had the severe form. People who had the mild version of the condition had a 50% increase in the risk of having abnormal heart rhythm. The risk of suffering from a stroke was nearly doubled.
For people who had the severe version of the condition, the risk of stroke and the risk of abnormal heart rhythm was nearly trebled.
The researchers point out that the study just suggests that there is a link between psoriasis and stroke and abnormal heart rhythm, there is nothing to indicate that one condition causes the other.
