Psoriasis was associated with significantly impaired global longitudinal strain compared to healthy controls (SMD -1.04; 95% CI -1.45 to -0.62; p<0.0001).
Meta-Analysis (n=879)
Does psoriasis associate with impaired myocardial strain parameters on speckle-tracking echocardiography compared to healthy individuals?
Psoriasis is associated with subclinical cardiac dysfunction, as evidenced by significantly impaired longitudinal and circumferential myocardial strain on speckle-tracking echocardiography.
Standardized Mean Difference: -1.04 (95% CI -1.45–-0.62)
p-value: p=<0.0001
Abstract Background Chronic inflammatory processes in psoriasis contribute to increased cardiovascular morbidity through persistent oxidative stress mechanisms. Advanced cardiac imaging using two-dimensional speckle-tracking analysis provides sensitive quantification of myocardial deformation patterns. These strain measurements enable identification of subtle ventricular impairment before overt functional decline becomes apparent. Current evidence regarding preclinical cardiac involvement in psoriatic populations remains contradictory across existing studies. Methods We performed a comprehensive search of medical databases to identify comparative studies evaluating myocardial strain parameters (global longitudinal and circumferential strain) in psoriatic patients versus healthy individuals. Data synthesis was performed using random-effects meta-analysis with inverse-variance weighting, calculating standardized effect sizes with corresponding 95% confidence intervals. All statistical computations were conducted using specialized meta-analysis software (Review Manager 5.4.1). Results Our analysis incorporated eleven clinical studies comprising 501 psoriatic patients and 378 matched controls. The pooled results demonstrated significantly impaired myocardial deformation in psoriasis patients, with notable reductions in both longitudinal (SMD: -1.04; 95% CI: -1.45 to -0.62; p0.0001) and circumferential strain parameters (SMD: -0.66; 95% CI: -1.27 to -0.05; p=0.032) compared to healthy subjects. Conclusions These findings establish an association between psoriasis and measurable subclinical cardiac dysfunction detectable through advanced echocardiographic techniques. Routine strain assessment in this population could facilitate early preventive strategies to potentially reduce subsequent cardiovascular complications. Further large-scale prospective investigations are needed to confirm these observations and establish clinical correlation with hard endpoints.
Hassan et al. (2026) conducted a meta-analysis in Psoriasis (n=879). Psoriasis vs. Healthy individuals was evaluated on Global longitudinal strain (SMD -1.04, 95% CI -1.45 to -0.62, p=<0.0001). Psoriasis was associated with significantly impaired global longitudinal strain compared to healthy controls (SMD -1.04; 95% CI -1.45 to -0.62; p<0.0001).