Platelet Activation and a Platelet Biosignature Associates with Enhanced Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Controlled Psoriasis.

The underlying mechanisms of atherosclerosis and strategies identifying high cardiovascular (CV) risk in psoriasis are incompletely understood. Platelet activity is increased in psoriasis and induces vascular dysfunction. We investigated the platelet phenotype and platelet transcriptome as one potential mechanism to explain CV risk in psoriasis. Psoriasis and controls underwent platelet aggregation and activation studies and platelet RNA sequencing to generate a psoriasis platelet transcriptomic score. The relationship between the platelet transcriptomic score and CV risk was assessed by arterial stiffness, coronary calcium, and longitudinally in an independent cohort of high CV-risk individuals undergoing lower extremity arterial revascularization (LER).