Abstract:
There is evidence of an increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in in-flammatory rheumatic diseases. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SpA). Inflamma-tion in arthritis, as well as traditional risk factors for ath-erosclerosis, together with cytokines and adhesion mole-cules, influence the activation and dysfunction of the en-dothelium. Interleukin 17 (IL-17) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) activate and deregulate endothelial function and may increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Serum IL-17 and ET-1 are believed to be associated with the inflammatory process in PsA. In addition, IL-17 stimulates the produc-tion of fibrinogen by the liver and is also involved in the activation of endothelial dysfunction.
