Impact of the Severity of Pediatric Psoriasis on Childhood Body Mass Index

Several environmental factors and comorbid conditions have been found to be associated with psoriasis in adults, including obesity, depression, smoking, and other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure. The object of this research study is to examine these associations in children as very little is known about psoriasis and cardiovascular risk factors in the pediatric population.

This is a multi-center study with a planned total enrollment of about 200 subjects ages 2-17 years old with psoriasis and 100 aged-match controls. Patient and family history will be recorded. All subjects will undergo standard height, weight, blood pressure, and waist circumference (WC). For the obese and overweight subjects we will also obtain their growth charts to attempt to correlate weight gain with psoriasis onset and progression. All data will be compiled and then statistically analyzed.