Associations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations with risks of mortality and cardiovascular disease among individuals with psoriasis

Abstract

Background: Evidence remains scarce regarding the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and the risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in psoriasis.

Objective: To explore the potential protective effect of serum 25(OH)D on the risk of mortality and CVD among patients with psoriasis.

Methods: This cohort study included 8947 psoriasis patients and 178,937 controls identified at baseline in the UK Biobank cohort. Serum 25(OH)D levels were prospectively collected at the time of recruitment. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the associations between levels of serum 25(OH)D and risk of overall mortality and CVD incidence.

Results: Compared to the lowest level of serum 25(OH)D (<25 nmol/L), hazard ratios were 0.54 and 0.78 for overall mortality and incident CVD for the highest level of serum 25(OH)D (≥50 nmol/L) among psoriasis patients, respectively (all P < .05). Psoriasis patients with serum 25(OH)D ≥ 50 nmol/L appeared to have no excess risk of mortality and CVD incidence, compared with matched controls.

Limitations: Information on psoriasis subtypes was not available.

Conclusion: A higher level of serum 25(OH)D was associated with a reduced risk of overall mortality and CVD in individuals with psoriasis.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; cohort study; epidemiology; mortality; psoriasis; vitamin D.