A comprehensive review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity in patients with psoriasis. The analysis, which included data from four databases up to October 2023, found that the global prevalence of psoriasis and obesity comorbidity was 25%. In children and adolescents, the comorbidity rate was 18%, while in adults it was 35%. Gender-specific rates showed 23% in men and 38% in women. Geographically, Africa had the highest prevalence at 60%, followed by Asia at 40%, with Europe and North America showing similar rates around 34% and 31%. Obesity prevalence also varied by psoriasis severity, being higher in moderate cases (36%) compared with mild cases (27%).

The study highlights the need to address obesity in patients with psoriasis to potentially reduce disease progression. It found that obesity was more prevalent in moderate psoriasis cases and less so in mild or severe cases. The researchers emphasized the importance of further high-quality observational studies to better understand the global prevalence of psoriasis and obesity comorbidity and their associations.

Reference: Wang J, Yu Y, Liu L, et al. Global prevalence of obesity in patients with psoriasis: An analysis in the past two decades. Autoimmun Rev. 2024;23(6):103577. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2024.103577.