MONDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Children with psoriasis are more likely to be obese, particularly if they have severe disease or live in the United States, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in the Archives of Dermatology.

Amy S. Paller, M.D., from Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues assessed overweight and obesity in 614 children (5 to 17 years old) from nine countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, where 409 had psoriasis and 205 did not have skin or inflammatory disease.

The researchers found that 37.9 percent of children with psoriasis and 20.5 percent of controls had excess adiposity (body mass index ≥85th percentile). Children with psoriasis were more likely than controls to be obese (odds ratio [OR], 4.29). Obesity was more common in severe psoriasis than mild disease (OR, 4.92 versus 3.60), especially in the United States (OR, 7.60 versus 4.72). The proportion of children with excess waist circumference was increased among those with psoriasis, increased with psoriasis severity, and was highest in the United States. The waist-to-height ratio was significantly higher in children with psoriasis but was not associated with psoriasis severity.

"Globally, children with psoriasis have excess adiposity and increased central adiposity regardless of psoriasis severity," Paller and colleagues conclude. "The increased metabolic risks associated with excess and central adiposity warrant early monitoring and lifestyle modification."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract
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