Relation between endothelial progenitor cells and arterial stiffness in patients with psoriasis.

Patients with psoriasis are prone to premature atherosclerosis. We hypothesize that depletion of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) is related to patients with psoriasis and can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Thirty-five plaque-type psoriasis patients (41.9 ± 5.5 years, 30 men) and 20 age- and sex-matched controls were studied. Four subpopulations of EPC, namely, CD34(+) EPC, CD133(+) EPC, CD34(+) /kinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR)(+) EPC and CD133(+) /KDR(+) EPC were measured by flow cytometry. Arterial stiffness in psoriasis patients was assessed by heart to ankle pulse wave velocity (haPWV), augmentation index (AI) and carotid intima media thickness (IMT). Patients with psoriasis had a lower level of CD34(+) EPC (7.85 ± 2.49% vs 6.26 ± 2.13%, P = 0.02) compared with healthy controls. In patients with psoriasis, level of CD34(+) EPC was negatively related with haPWV (r = -0.43 P = 0.01) and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (r = -0.39 P = 0.02). Multivariate regression analysis further demonstrated that haPWV was independently associated with level of CD34(+) EPC. Each percentage decrease in CD34(+) EPC accounted for an increase in haPWV of +0.02 m/s. The result demonstrated that patients with psoriasis had reduced CD34(+) EPC compared with controls. Importantly, CD34(+) EPC was independently related with haPWV in these patients. This finding suggests that EPC reduction is associated with the development of arterial stiffness in patients with psoriasis.