Hypertension in psoriasis and lichen planus patients – A case control study

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis and lichen planus (LP) both are chronic inflammatory disorders of the skin. The recent data shows increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome (MS) in these patients. MS is described as a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders (CVDs). If there is increased risk of CVDs in such patients, they should be screened for blood pressure when they visit dermatology OPDs. The present study is to find out if there is any need of screening such patients for blood pressure or not. Objectives: To find out the association of psoriasis and lichen planus with hypertension. Methods: 60 LP patients, 60 psoriasis patients and 60 healthy individuals were selected for the study and their blood pressure was measured after taking the written informed consent. Results: 33.3% of the psoriasis patients, 38.3% of LP cases and 20% of controls were found to be hypertensive. The difference was statistically significant in both psoriasis as well as LP cases compared to controls (p