Medicina clinicaJul 20, 2023

Liraglutide's effects in people with psoriasis and obesity

GLP-1 Therapies Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 21, 2026

Abstract

Liraglutide 3mg for three months significantly reduced BMI from 38.9 to 36.4.

A significant reduction in inflammation markers was observed, including CRP (from 4.5 to 3 mg/L) and homocysteine (from 13.3 to 11.9 μmol/L).
Psoriasis severity, measured by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), improved from 10 to 5.1.
Pain levels decreased as indicated by the visual analogue scale (VAS), changing from 4.1 to 2.3.
Quality of life improved according to the Dermatology Quality Index (DLQI), with scores dropping from 12.7 to 6.4.
No correlation was found between weight loss and improvements in inflammatory parameters or psoriasis severity.

Simplified

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is a bidirectional relationship between obesity and psoriasis. Liraglutide has been shown to improve the severity of psoriatic lesions in patients with type 2 diabetes. We aimed to study the effects of liraglutide 3mg in patients with obesity and psoriasis.

METHODS: Twenty patients started treatment with liraglutide 3mg for 3 months. Severity of the lesions was evaluated using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) and the visual analogue scale of pain (VAS), and quality of life with the Dermatology Quality Index (DLQI).

RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in BMI (38.9±5.8 vs. 36.4±5.6; p<0.001), CRP (4.5±2.4 vs. 3±2mg/L; p<0.01), homocysteine (13.3±3.6 vs. 11.9±3μmol/L; p<0.01), ferritin (185.4±142.2 vs. 97.43±114.4ng/mL; p=0.04) and plasma cortisol (12±3.1 vs. 11.6±2.2μg/dL, p=0.04). PASI (10±8.4 vs. 5.1±6; p<0.0001), VAS (4.1±2 vs. 2.3±0.92; p=0.009) and DLQI (12.7±7 vs. 6.4±5.6, p<0.0001) improved significantly. In multiple regression analysis, weight loss did not correlate with any inflammatory parameter or PASI.

CONCLUSIONS: Liraglutide 3mg for three months is effective and safe in reducing weight and improving psoriatic lesions among patients with psoriasis and obesity. Besides, there is an improvement in psoriatic lesions regardless of weight loss that deserves further studies.

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Liraglutide's effects in people with psoriasis and obesity

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