Chronic Inflammatory Dermatoses and Metabolic Dysregulation: Evidence for a Systemic Disease Model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64784/084Keywords:
chronic cutaneous inflammation, metabolic syndrome, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, systemic inflammation, immunometabolism, insulin resistance, obesity, cardiometabolic riskAbstract
Chronic inflammatory skin diseases have increasingly been recognized as systemic disorders with clinically significant extracutaneous manifestations. Among these, the association between chronic cutaneous inflammation and metabolic syndrome has emerged as a relevant and reproducible pattern across epidemiological, clinical, and mechanistic studies. This review synthesizes current evidence examining the bidirectional relationship between chronic inflammatory dermatoses—primarily psoriasis and moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis—and metabolic syndrome, including its key components: obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Population-based studies and meta-analyses consistently demonstrate a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and related metabolic abnormalities in patients with chronic inflammatory skin disease, with stronger associations observed in more severe disease phenotypes. Mechanistic data support these observations, highlighting shared inflammatory pathways, cytokine signaling, adipokine imbalance, and immunometabolic interactions as common underlying processes. The findings discussed in this review reinforce the concept of systemic inflammation as a unifying framework linking skin and metabolic disease. Recognizing chronic inflammatory dermatoses as markers of increased metabolic risk has important implications for clinical practice, preventive strategies, and medical education. An integrated, multidisciplinary approach may facilitate earlier identification of cardiometabolic risk and improve long-term outcomes, particularly in regions experiencing a rising burden of metabolic disease, such as Latin America.
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