The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in psoriatic patients in Albania

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated skin, now reco-gnized as a systemic inflammatory disease linked to comor-bidities such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), cardiovascu-lar disease, and psychiatric disorders. This study explores the prevalence of MetS among psoriasis patients in Albania. This is a prospective case-control study conducted in the Uni-versity Hospital Center “Mother Theresa”, Tirana, Albania. It included 148 psoriasis patients and 150 age- and sex-ma-tched controls. Data collected from patients included age, sex, psoriasis severity (PASI score), and metabolic parame-ters such as fasting blood glucose, lipid levels, and blood pressure. MetS was diagnosed based on NCEP-ATP III crite-ria. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software. The mean age was 52.3±12.6 years in psoriatic patients and 54.46±15.18 years in controls. Psoriatic patients were 38,5% wo-men and 61,5 % men. The prevalence of MetS was significantly higher in psoriasis patients (62.8%) compared to controls (37.2%) (p<0.002). PASI score was greater in patients with MetS than tho-se without MetS (p=0.004). Psoriasis severity correlated with an increased likelihood of MetS (OR: 2.6, p<0.0001). There was a si-gnificant relationship between PASI>10 and obesity (p=0.0152). Significant positive correlations were observed between age, dise-ase duration, and MetS (p<0.0001). Stress was also significant-ly associated with MetS (p=0.006). No significant associations were found between smoking or sex and MetS in this cohort. The study confirms a high prevalence of MetS in psoriasis patients in Albania. Disease severity, age, and duration are significantly as-sociated with MetS, underscoring the importance of early identifi-cation and comprehensive management. Addressing both physical and psychological factors is critical for improving patient outcomes.