INTRODUCTION
Inflammatory skin diseases (ISDs), including atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis, rosacea, and alopecia areata (AA), contribute to a significant global burden of disease and are associated with profound negative effects on patients' quality of life.1-5 Patients often suffer from increased rates of depression and anxiety, as well as the negative financial impact, especially in those suffering from severe symptoms and recalcitrant disease.1-4
Although each of these ISDs involves a complex pathogenesis, they all share central features of immune activation, increasingly recognized as being systemic in many cases.6-14 The systemic inflammation associated with dysregulated immune responses, in turn, has been proposed as a possible contributor to diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis.15,16 Although a growing body of evidence has linked psoriasis with cardiovascular risk factors including smoking, obesity, and hypertension, it has also been identified as a possible independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).17-19 More recently, emerging evidence demonstrates an association between AD and increased CVD including stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure.6,7,20 Additionally, a study using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (18F-FDG-PET/MRI) demonstrated greater vascular inflammation in AD patients compared with controls.21
Although each of these ISDs involves a complex pathogenesis, they all share central features of immune activation, increasingly recognized as being systemic in many cases.6-14 The systemic inflammation associated with dysregulated immune responses, in turn, has been proposed as a possible contributor to diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis.15,16 Although a growing body of evidence has linked psoriasis with cardiovascular risk factors including smoking, obesity, and hypertension, it has also been identified as a possible independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).17-19 More recently, emerging evidence demonstrates an association between AD and increased CVD including stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure.6,7,20 Additionally, a study using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (18F-FDG-PET/MRI) demonstrated greater vascular inflammation in AD patients compared with controls.21