D.K. Cook
Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated, infl ammatory skin disease There is increasing understanding that psoriasis is a systemic disease due to chronic systemic infl ammation as a result of increased levels of infl ammatory cytokines. Recently, a strong association between increased adiposity, obesity and psoriasis has emerged. In addition to obesity, psoriasis patients are more likely to have metabolic syndrome which is defi ned in terms of
five criteria: abdominal obesity, hypertension,hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome is a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease. The pathogen- esis of metabolic syndrome is related to increased levels of adipocytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor- α and adiponectin. This presentation reviews the association of psoriasis and metabolic syndrome and the role of adipocytokines in this association. Furthermore the broader impact of metabolic syndrome and obesity in modern Australian society are discussed.