People with the skin condition psoriasis should be closely monitored by their GPs for heart-related problems, dermatologists have said.

Psoriasis affects around 2% of the Irish population, some 100,000 people. It appears as pink or red raised patches on the skin. These patches, which are known as plaques, have a well-defined edge around them. They also have a scaly surface and can be large or small.

According to Dr Sally Jane O'Shea, a dermatology specialist registrar at Beaumont Hospital and Prof Brian Kirby, a consultant dermatologist at St Vincent's Hospital, psoriasis is already associated with a number of conditions, including type 2 diabetes, depression and premature heart disease.

Furthermore, a number of studies have shown that people with psoriasis have an increased risk of suffering a heart attack.

"Given the significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease among psoriasis patients, it is critical that patients are monitored closely (by their GP) for cardiovascular risk factors to allow early intervention," the doctors explained.

They said that things such as blood pressure, blood glucose levels and body mass index (BMI) should be measured in psoriasis patients at least once a year, irrespective of the age of the patient.

Furthermore, ‘weight-loss interventions should be employed where appropriate'.

"Patients should also be counselled about reducing alcohol intake and smoking cessation, which if adhered to, can both benefit their skin disease and help to reduce their cardiac risk," the doctors said.

They pointed out that there have been many advances in the treatment of psoriasis, however they acknowledged that for some, treatment ‘is inadequate or wanes over time'. As a result, there is ‘an ongoing need for the development of new treatments'.

Dr O'Shea and Prof Kirby made their comments in Modern Medicine, the Irish Journal of Clinical Medicine.

For more information on psoriasis, see our Psoriasis Clinic here.

For more information on heart disease, see our Heart Disease Clinic here.