Psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis tied to higher risk of polyneuropathy

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis may be associated with an increased risk of polyneuropathy, according to a study published online June 28 in Muscle & Nerve.

Pietro E. Doneddu, M.D., from the IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, and colleagues evaluated the risk and features of peripheral neuropathy in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Analysis included 100 consecutive patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis and 100 controls.

The researchers found that nine patients were diagnosed with confirmed polyneuropathy, compared to no controls (relative risk, 19.00). In psoriasis patients, the relative risk for polyneuropathy was 22.09, while those with psoriatic arthritis had a relative risk of 18.75. In the nine patients with polyneuropathy, presentation was length-dependent, symmetrical, and predominantly sensory, with minimal or no disability.

Compared to controls, comorbidities and exposure to therapies known to increase the risk of polyneuropathy were more frequent in those with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis (4 versus 42 percent). When excluding possible contributory causes, the risk of polyneuropathy was not significant in patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.

“This increased risk seems to be linked to the higher prevalence of contributing factors for polyneuropathy, rather than a direct increase in neuropathy risk specifically related to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis,” the authors write.

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