Psoriasis is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a U.S. outpatient population, according to a study published May 25 in JAMA Dermatology .

Zhijie Ruan, M.Med., from the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College in China, and colleagues used data from 5,672 U.S. adults (aged 20 to 59 years) participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2003-2006 and 2009-2014 cycles). Associations between psoriasis and NAFLD were examined in this outpatient sample.

The researchers found that those with psoriasis had a higher prevalence of NAFLD (32.7 versus 26.6 percent) compared with participants without psoriasis. Psoriasis was associated with NAFLD (odds ratio, 1.67) when adjusting for age, sex, race and ethnicity, educational level, family income, marital status, NHANES cycles, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and smoking and alcohol drinking status. Psoriasis was associated with NAFLD among men (odds ratio, 2.16), among those aged 20 to 39 years (odds ratio, 2.48), and among those without diabetes (odds ratio, 1.70).

"Because some antipsoriatic agents are potentially hepatotoxic, the association between psoriasis and NAFLD in U.S. adults found in this study may be worth considering in psoriasis management," the authors write.

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