A letter to the editor published by Lada et al in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology concluded that a current depressive burden is associated with systemic inflammation in patients with psoriasis, determined by increased neutrophils—though this association was only seen in female patients. Researchers used data from the UK Biobank to cross-sectionally investigate associations of current and lifetime depression with neutrophil count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in patients with psoriasis. Lifetime depression predicted higher neutrophil levels in patients with psoriasis, regardless of gender; depression was not associated with C-reactive protein levels. The researchers concluded, “Taken together, however, the observed associations and their independence of lifestyle factors, comorbidities and treatment-based psoriasis severity are suggestive of underlying immunological relationships with mood, particularly among women. It is important to elucidate further these associations in psoriasis through large prospective studies including multiple inflammatory markers.”
May 24, 2023