Sleep and the gut microbiome in psoriasis: clinical implications for disease progression and the development of cardiometabolic comorbidities

Background: Sleep dysfunction and sleep disorders are important comorbidities of psoriasis. Not only do these sleep comorbidities contribute to reduced quality of life, but they may also lead to worsening psoriasis and increased susceptibility to cardiometabolic diseases. While psoriasis and sleep dysfunction are thought to be linked by itch, depression, and immune system dysregulation, the relationship between psoriasis and sleep dysfunction is not yet fully understood.

Objective: We sought to compare previous studies characterizing the gut microbiome in psoriasis and sleep dysfunction and examine the potential relevance of shared findings on cardiometabolic and overall health.

Methods: We performed literature searches of PubMed and Embase databases to find studies evaluating the gut microbiome in psoriasis, sleep dysfunction, and cardiometabolic diseases.

Results: Studies characterizing the gut microbiome in psoriasis and sleep dysfunction reveal shared findings, specifically an increased Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and reduced abundance of short chain fatty acid-producing bacteria. These dysbiotic features have also been shown to promote systemic inflammation and cardiometabolic disease.

Conclusion: In favoring an increased Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and reduced abundance of short chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, sleep dysfunction could be contributing to worsening psoriasis and cardiometabolic comorbidities through intestinal dysbiosis. Future studies are needed to determine whether gut- and sleep-targeting interventions could be therapeutic in psoriasis patients with poor sleep.