Psoriasis is linked with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the US adult outpatient population, according to a study published in JAMA Dermatology. Researchers conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study using data on US adults aged 20-59 (N=5,672) from the NHANES 2003-2006 and 2009-2014 cycles. Among total participants, 3.0% had psoriasis and 97.0% did not, while 26.8% were identified as having NAFLD. Those with psoriasis had a higher incidence of NAFLD, compared with those without psoriasis (32.7% vs 26.5%). Psoriasis was correlated with NAFLD in a multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, smoking and alcohol drinking status, education level, race and ethnicity, family income, and marital status. Among men in a subgroup analysis, psoriasis was linked with NAFLD among those without diabetes and those aged 20-39. “This association may be important to consider in the context of clinicians prescribing potentially hepatotoxic medication for psoriasis management,” the study authors wrote.
