Exploring the link between cadmium and psoriasis in a nationally representative sample

Abstract

Psoriasis, a skin inflammatory disease, originates from dysregulated interactions of the immune system. Cadmium, an environment pollutant, increases the levels of inflammation markers and influences the immune system. To clarify the relationship between cadmium and psoriasis, 5,927 participants, ≥20 years, in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006 were studied. Psoriasis severity was assessed using self-reported dermatology questionnaires. Cadmium was measured using blood chemistry. Three adjusted models were applied for the interaction between serum cadmium and severity of psoriasis. Psoriasis patients had significantly higher blood cadmium (0.67 vs. 0.52 μg/L, p = 0.006). There was a strong linear increase in predicted blood cadmium values with an increase in severity of psoriasis (p for trend = 0.002). The β coefficient of the predicted serum cadmium in the “few patches to extensive psoriasis” group was 0.234 (p = 0.002) after adjusting covariates. Participants with severe psoriasis have higher blood cadmium. Environmental exposure to cadmium can predispose to the worsening of psoriasis. Although there are still limitations in this study, such as not included treatment data, these results have substantial public health implications for the general population, as they demonstrate the importance of cadmium exposure prevention, particularly among psoriasis patients.

Alleviating Effect of α-Lipoic Acid and Magnesium on Cadmium-Induced Inflammatory Processes, Oxidative Stress and Bone Metabolism Disorders in Wistar Rats

“…Cadmium-induced inflammatory processes and oxidative stress have a considerable significance in the pathophysiology of numerous other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases [4], renal diseases [6,7], psoriasis [35], or neoplasms [36]. Oxidative stress plays a key role in cadmium-induced insulin resistance, which increases the risk of metabolic disturbances and diabetes [34].…”

Risk Factors for the Development of Psoriasis

“…Cadmium is one of the air pollutants which affect the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Patients with severe psoriasis had higher blood cadmium when compared with the general population [29]. This study suggests that environmental exposure to cadmium may compromise immunity, and microenvironmental perturbation can predispose one to the worsening of psoriasis.…”

Air pollution and skin disorders

“…In this study, patients with severe psoriasis had higher blood cadmium compared with the general population. It is proposed that environmental exposure to cadmium may compromise immunity, and microenvironmental perturbations can predispose to worsening of psoriasis ( Kamiya et al, 2019 , Liaw et al, 2017 ).…”