A new treatment for psoriasis called adalimumab may also help decrease vascular inflammation, which is what causes an increased risk of stroke in people with psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and joints that affects up to 3% of the population and is associated with a greater risk of heart attack and stroke.
A study, carried out at the Montreal Heart Institute and Innovaderm Research Inc and presented at theAmericanAcademyof Dermatologywas, showed significantly decreased vascular inflammation in patients who were treated with adalimumab, a biological anti‐inflammatory compound.
The study showed just over a 50 % decrease in C- , which is a reactive protein among patients treated with adalimumab compared to a 2% decrease among patients in the control group. These results are significant, as a high level of the reactive protein C- is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
In addition 70% of patients who received adalimumab reported a major decrease in skin lesion severity, compared to 20% of patients in the control group.
