A Case Control Study Evaluating the Prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Patients With Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory disorder of the skin and in some patients the joints. Several reports have demonstrated a possible association between psoriasis and diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and heart failure.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, visceral obesity and hyperlipidemia and is thought to be caused by insulin resistance and the presence of a systemic inflammation which is evident by the increased level of inflammatory cytokines like TNF in this group of patients.

Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ( NAFLD) is the accumulation of fat vacuoles in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes and is believed to be the most common cause of chronic liver disease in developed countries. Currently, the metabolic syndrome has been found to be a strong predictor of NAFLD, and NAFLD is widely accepted to be the hepatic manifestation of the MS.

Since people with psoriasis have significantly higher rates of metabolic syndrome and regarding the fact that NAFLD is considered as the hepatic manifestation of MS, the purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of NAFLD in subjects with psoriasis compared to the non -psoriatic population.

We have designed a case control study of patients who attend the dermatologic clinic at GWU with a clinical diagnosis of psoriasis. By performing a limited RUQ abdominal ultrasonography at the GWU hospital, we will be able to screen the patients with a possible diagnosis of NAFLD. Since NAFLD is a diagnosis of exclusion, those patients who have been screened positive for NAFLD, will be further evaluated for ruling out the other etiologies of fatty liver such as alcohol abuse and hepatitis.

Inclusion criteria

• Adults of both sexes from dermatologic or radiologic clinics, between the age 18 and 80 years who wish to voluntarily participate in the study and who have signed a written informed consent form to participate.

Exclusion criteria

• Alcohol intake > 30 g/day in males and > 20 g/day in females.
• Presence of chronic liver disease.
• Presence of the hepatitis B virus surface antigen or the presence of virus hepatitis C antibodies.
• History of methotrexate, systemic corticosteroid, amiodarone, tamoxifen, estrogens, and/or nifedipine.
• Pregnancy
• Subjects with conditions or diseases hindering data collection and follow up of the study such as incapacitating diseases, cognitive deterioration, institutionalized patients.