Are systemic inflammation and imbalance between endothelial injury and repair in patients with psoriasis associated with preclinical atherosclerosis?
Patients with psoriasis have an increased burden of cardiovascular risk, including inflammation, vascular incompetence and early atherosclerosis. Increased hsCRP levels, possibly sustained by the inflammatory nature of psoriasis and metabolic syndrome, and vascular incompetence are associated with early carotid atherosclerosis, regardless of metabolic syndrome and other established cardiovascular risk factors.
A persistently elevated CRP level after initial treatment is an independent marker of a poor prognosis, and normalization of the CRP level after initial treatment is associated with a better outcome in patients with HCC.