Bone mineral density is lower in male than female patients with plaque-type psoriasis in Iran.

Background: There are many similarities with regard to contributing cytokines in patients with psoriasis and osteoporosis. A theory of probable relationship between these two entities has been proposed but there is no concordant consensus. The aim of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with psoriasis.

Method and materials: This cross-sectional study of BMD was conducted with 64 eligible patients with psoriasis who were referred to the dermatology clinic of Razi hospital in Tehran, Iran in between 2011 and 2012.

Results: The mean T score of femoral neck was -1.17 and -0.49 in men and women, respectively, which was statistically significant ( p = .047). The mean T score of the lumbar spine was -0.93 and -0.30 in men and women, respectively, but not statistically significant ( p = .058). In total except with the exclusion of the study site (femur or lumbar), men and women did not have a statistically significant difference with regard to osteoporosis or osteopenia in BMD ( p = .114). The Pearson correlation coefficient demonstrated a moderate inverse relationship between age and T score of the femoral neck and lumbar spine (r = -0.419 and -.406, respectively), which was statistically significant ( p = .001). Although there was no statistically significant relationship between the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and T scores of the femoral neck ( p = .596), a positive and weak correlation was observed between the PASI and T scores for the lumbar spine, which was statistically significant (r = 0.269; p = .03).

Conclusion: Patients with psoriasis had decreased bone density, which was more significant in men. Prevalence of osteoporosis showed no statistically significant difference when compared with the healthy population in Iran.