The Association between Psoriasis and Risk of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction among African American Patients

Background/ObjectivesSeveral studies have attempted to investigate the association between psoriasis and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), possibly making psoriasis a risk factor for the development of CVD. African American (AA) patients have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors, representing a racial health disparity. There are very limited studies on the association between psoriasis and STEMIs among this specific patient population. This study aims to explore if an association exists between a diagnosis of psoriasis and the incidence of STEMI among AA patients. MethodsPatients with specific ICD-10 codes for psoriasis and STEMI were included from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data. The rates of STEMI in patients with an established diagnosis of psoriasis were calculated and compared between AA and non-AA patients. An additional multivariate analysis was performed to adjust for CVD risk factors including age, gender, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, and diabetes. ResultsThe analysis revealed no significant association between a diagnosis of psoriasis and STEMI incidence among AA patients. However, there was a significant positive association between psoriasis and STEMIs with p-value <0.001 among the total population despite race. After adjusting for confounding variables, there remained no significant association between psoriasis and STEMI among AA patients, and there was a significant negative association between psoriasis and STEMI among non-AA patients. ConclusionThese findings suggest that psoriasis is not directly associated with STEMI among AA and non-AA patients, especially when controlling for confounding risks. Given the low prevalence of psoriasis among AA patients and the large burden of CVD in this patient population, further research will need to be conducted possibly guiding early CVD risk assessment and psoriasis management in AA patients.