Thirteen drugs against hypertension are concerned: they can promote the appearance or aggravation of psoriasis.
- The study was peer reviewed, meaning it was reviewed by a committee of scientists.
- Drugs against hypertension are a second-line strategy: doctors first recommend the adoption of lifestyle and dietary measures.
- No treatment should be interrupted without medical advice.
One in three adults is affected by high blood pressure. Pathology is sometimes silent, yet it can be dangerous. It is associated with a risk of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative complications: it is also the leading preventable cause of stroke. Management consists of normalizing blood pressure, which is too high in these cases. For many patients, this requires drug treatment. But there can be side effects: according to a study published in British Journal of Clinical Pharmacologyblood pressure medications can increase the risk of developing psoriasis.
Effects seen with all medications
In this research, the authors compiled and analyzed the data of 13 studies already carried out on the subject. Several types of treatment were included in this trial: thiazide diuretics, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors. According to their findings, all of these drugs increase the risk of developing psoriasis. “Patients taking anti-hypertensives should be carefully monitored for psoriasis.“, concludes Hye Sun Gwak, the main author of this meta-analysis.
A warning from 2019
In 2019, the magazine Prescribe already warned about the risks of blood pressure medication for psoriasis. “The drug origin of psoriasis or its aggravation is often difficult to identify, in particular because of its banal clinical aspect and the sometimes long time to onset.said the article. Stopping the drug in question is often followed by an improvement, or even a disappearance of the symptoms, but in sometimes long delays.In contrast, if treatment for high blood pressure is continued, psoriasis medications are usually of little or no effect. it is necessary to assess “the interest of stopping the drug in question“, taking into account the seriousness of the disorders, the inconvenience caused and the benefit-risk balance of this drug.
A disease with uncertain causes
Psoriasis is a chronic disease that affects the skin and scalp. It causes red patches, covered with crusts. Its precise causes are unknown but it could be favored by failures of the immune system, and aggravated by stress. Untreated, the pathology can generate chronic rheumatism.
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