Assessment of Adiposity in Patients with Psoriasis and its Correlation with Disease Severity: A Case-Control Study

Background: Psoriasis and obesity are known to share many mediators of inflammation with each other such as TNF-α and IL-6. Obesity, being a low-grade inflammatory state, is known to affect the disease course, severity, predisposition, and response to therapy in psoriatic patients. Whole-body dual-e...

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Main Authors: Seerat Fatima, Seema Qayoom, Majid Jehangir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-05-01
Series:Indian Dermatology Online Journal
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/idoj.idoj_510_24
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author Seerat Fatima
Seema Qayoom
Majid Jehangir
author_facet Seerat Fatima
Seema Qayoom
Majid Jehangir
author_sort Seerat Fatima
collection DOAJ
description Background: Psoriasis and obesity are known to share many mediators of inflammation with each other such as TNF-α and IL-6. Obesity, being a low-grade inflammatory state, is known to affect the disease course, severity, predisposition, and response to therapy in psoriatic patients. Whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a proven method to estimate total, abdominal, and extremity fat mass. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the correlation of the severity of psoriasis with adiposity using regional fat mass DEXA indices. Patients and Methods: This was a case-control study involving 153 cases followed through till the completion of the study. A total of 153 age and gender-matched controls were included in the study after ruling out confounding factors. DEXA scans were conducted on both cases and controls; the following indices, including total body fat percentage, android–gynoid ratio, and trunk/limb fat mass ratio, were analyzed. Results: The total fat percentage, as assessed by DEXA scan, had a mean of 29.13 ± 9.66 (32.12 ± 9.51 for cases and 26.13 ± 8.87 for controls) with a significant P value of <0.001. The android/gynoid ratio had a mean of 1.01 ± 0.22 (1.09 ± 0.21 for cases and 0.93 ± 0.21 for controls). Percentage fat trunk/percentage fat limbs (central/peripheral fat) had a mean of 1.05 ± 0.16 (1.08 ± 0.15 for cases and 1.03 ± 0.16 for controls) with a significant P value of <0.001. The correlation of DEXA adiposity grading with the severity of psoriasis was found to be significant, with a P value of <0.001. Limitations: The cross-sectional design restricts assessment to associations rather than causality. Although major confounding factors were ruled out during recruitment, variables such as lifestyle and dietary habits, physical activity levels, and treatment history were not the primary focus and hence not extensively analyzed. The sample size analyses, such as stratification by gender or treatment modalities, may benefit from larger cohorts in future research. Conclusion: DEXA is a useful indicator of adiposity, with greater total fat percentage, android/gynoid ratio, and trunk/limb fat mass ratio in cases compared to controls and it was positively correlated with the severity of psoriasis in our study.
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spelling doaj-art-395b1197264e4de18779662e4f080f0a2025-08-20T02:15:59ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Dermatology Online Journal2229-51782249-56732025-05-0116340240610.4103/idoj.idoj_510_24Assessment of Adiposity in Patients with Psoriasis and its Correlation with Disease Severity: A Case-Control StudySeerat FatimaSeema QayoomMajid JehangirBackground: Psoriasis and obesity are known to share many mediators of inflammation with each other such as TNF-α and IL-6. Obesity, being a low-grade inflammatory state, is known to affect the disease course, severity, predisposition, and response to therapy in psoriatic patients. Whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a proven method to estimate total, abdominal, and extremity fat mass. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the correlation of the severity of psoriasis with adiposity using regional fat mass DEXA indices. Patients and Methods: This was a case-control study involving 153 cases followed through till the completion of the study. A total of 153 age and gender-matched controls were included in the study after ruling out confounding factors. DEXA scans were conducted on both cases and controls; the following indices, including total body fat percentage, android–gynoid ratio, and trunk/limb fat mass ratio, were analyzed. Results: The total fat percentage, as assessed by DEXA scan, had a mean of 29.13 ± 9.66 (32.12 ± 9.51 for cases and 26.13 ± 8.87 for controls) with a significant P value of <0.001. The android/gynoid ratio had a mean of 1.01 ± 0.22 (1.09 ± 0.21 for cases and 0.93 ± 0.21 for controls). Percentage fat trunk/percentage fat limbs (central/peripheral fat) had a mean of 1.05 ± 0.16 (1.08 ± 0.15 for cases and 1.03 ± 0.16 for controls) with a significant P value of <0.001. The correlation of DEXA adiposity grading with the severity of psoriasis was found to be significant, with a P value of <0.001. Limitations: The cross-sectional design restricts assessment to associations rather than causality. Although major confounding factors were ruled out during recruitment, variables such as lifestyle and dietary habits, physical activity levels, and treatment history were not the primary focus and hence not extensively analyzed. The sample size analyses, such as stratification by gender or treatment modalities, may benefit from larger cohorts in future research. Conclusion: DEXA is a useful indicator of adiposity, with greater total fat percentage, android/gynoid ratio, and trunk/limb fat mass ratio in cases compared to controls and it was positively correlated with the severity of psoriasis in our study.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/idoj.idoj_510_24adipositydual-energy x-ray absorptiometrypsoriasis
spellingShingle Seerat Fatima
Seema Qayoom
Majid Jehangir
Assessment of Adiposity in Patients with Psoriasis and its Correlation with Disease Severity: A Case-Control Study
Indian Dermatology Online Journal
adiposity
dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry
psoriasis
title Assessment of Adiposity in Patients with Psoriasis and its Correlation with Disease Severity: A Case-Control Study
title_full Assessment of Adiposity in Patients with Psoriasis and its Correlation with Disease Severity: A Case-Control Study
title_fullStr Assessment of Adiposity in Patients with Psoriasis and its Correlation with Disease Severity: A Case-Control Study
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of Adiposity in Patients with Psoriasis and its Correlation with Disease Severity: A Case-Control Study
title_short Assessment of Adiposity in Patients with Psoriasis and its Correlation with Disease Severity: A Case-Control Study
title_sort assessment of adiposity in patients with psoriasis and its correlation with disease severity a case control study
topic adiposity
dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry
psoriasis
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/idoj.idoj_510_24
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AT seemaqayoom assessmentofadiposityinpatientswithpsoriasisanditscorrelationwithdiseaseseverityacasecontrolstudy
AT majidjehangir assessmentofadiposityinpatientswithpsoriasisanditscorrelationwithdiseaseseverityacasecontrolstudy