Increased Prevalence of Advanced Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Psoriasis: A Cross-sectional Analysis from the Rotterdam Study

Abstract

Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is increased in patients with psoriasis. However, it is not known how liver fibrosis correlates with psoriasis. This study investigated the association between psoriasis and liver fibrosis compared with participants without psoriasis within the population-based Rotterdam Study. All participants were screened for liver fibrosis using transient elastography. Liver stiffness >9.5 kPa suggested advanced liver fibrosis. Psoriasis was identified using a validated algorithm. A total of 1,535 participants were included (mean age±standard deviation 70.5–7.9 years; 50.8% female; median body mass index 26.4 kg/m2 (interquartile range 24.2–28.9)) of whom 74 (4.7%) had psoriasis. Prevalence of advanced liver fibrosis was 8.1% in psoriasis patients compared with 3.6% in the reference group (p=0.05). The risk of advanced liver fibrosis in psoriasis patients remained comparable after adjustment for demographics, lifestyle characteristics and laboratory findings (odds ratio 2.57 (95% confidence interval 1.00–6.63). This study suggests that elderly people with psoriasis are twice as likely to have advanced liver fibrosis irrespective of common risk factors.