Association Between Psoriasis and Serum Apolipoprotein A1 and B: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Psoriasis has been linked to dyslipidemia. However, the magnitude of the association between psoriasis and serum apolipoproteins A1 and B remains unclear.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for eligible studies published before August 10, 2023. Data were pooled using Stata software. We adopted a random-effects model for the meta-analysis. Additionally, we conducted subgroup analyses of the studies according to the psoriasis type and matched body mass index (BMI).

Results: Seventeen studies involving 2467 participants were included. Psoriasis was associated with decreased serum apolipoprotein A1 (weighted mean difference [WMD] = -9.05,  < 0.001) and increased serum apolipoprotein B (WMD = 11.68,  < 0.001). In subgroup analysis after matching BMI, the findings showing an association of psoriasis with serum apolipoprotein A1 (WMD = -14.07, P < 0.001) and serum apolipoprotein B (WMD = 13.07,  < 0.001) were consistent with the overall results. The subgroup analysis for the presence or absence of psoriatic arthritis showed that serum apolipoprotein A1 was significantly decreased in psoriasis with (WMD = -11.29,  < 0.001) and without arthritis (WMD = -8.69,  = 0.039); whereas serum apolipoprotein B was significantly increased in psoriasis with (WMD = 13.57,  < 0.001) and without arthritis (WMD = 9.21,  < 0.001).

Conclusions: Our study revealed that psoriasis is associated with decreased serum apolipoprotein A1 and increased serum apolipoprotein B levels compared with healthy controls.