Cardiodermatology and Cardiovascular Risk in Inflammatory Skin Disease
Dermatologists and rheumatologists may be the first clinicians to catch cardiovascular disease in patients with psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and cutaneous lupus—but most aren't screening for it systematically. In this episode, Dr Joseph Merola and Dr Alice Gottlieb (dermatologist-rheumatologists, UT Southwestern Medical Center) are joined by Dr Brittany Weber, one of the first cardiodermatologists in the United States, to lay out the clinical case for owning cardiovascular risk assessment in inflammatory skin disease.
The discussion covers why standard cardiovascular risk calculators underestimate risk in this patient population, how the PREVENT calculator improves on the pooled cohort equation by incorporating lifetime risk and younger-age calibration, and what a practical screening workflow looks like across different practice settings—from academic medical centers to community dermatology. Dr Weber also breaks down when to manage risk in-house, when to refer to primary care, and when to send directly to a preventive cardiologist.
The episode closes with a forward-looking discussion on imaging: coronary artery calcium scoring, coronary CT angiography, cardiac MRI, and the emerging use of AI algorithms to identify unrecognized cardiovascular burden in CT scans already sitting in the medical record.
Hosted by Masterclasses in Dermatology Saturday Morning Live, a free virtual education series for dermatologists, nurse practitioners, and physician associates produced by HMP Global.
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