November 15, 2025

EP412: Talking Psoriasis with Dr Foo and Dr Smith

26 minutes

Welcome to my podcast. I am Doctor Warrick Bishop, and I want to help you to live as well as possible for as long as possible. I’m a practising cardiologist, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and the creator of The Healthy Heart Network. I have over 20 years as a specialist cardiologist and a private practice of over 10,000 patients.

Dr. Warrick Bishop hosts a podcast episode with Fiona Foo, a cardiologist, and Dr. Smith, a dermatologist, discussing the connection between psoriasis and cardiovascular health. Psoriasis, affecting 2-4% of the population, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can lead to systemic inflammation impacting organs like the heart, joints, and liver. Patients with psoriasis have an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes due to elevated cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation.

Early diagnosis, effective treatment, and lifestyle interventions like weight management are crucial in managing psoriasis and reducing cardiovascular risk. Treatment options include biologics and lifestyle changes like the Mediterranean diet to improve skin and heart health. Dr. Bishop emphasizes the importance of awareness, early intervention, and proactive health management to optimize quality of life and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Takeaways:

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 2-4% of the population, characterized by rapid skin cell turnover, resulting in heaped up scaly skin primarily on elbows, knees, and scalp.

Psoriasis is not just a skin condition but a systemic disorder that can impact organs beyond the skin, such as the heart, joints (psoriatic arthritis), brain (depression, anxiety), and liver inflammation.

Early diagnosis and effective treatment of psoriasis are critical to shaping the disease trajectory and reducing the risk of comorbidities like heart disease.

Psoriasis is considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor, associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol, contributing to atherosclerosis and elevated risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Patients with psoriasis should be treated as high-risk individuals, focusing on lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and maintaining overall cardiovascular health through lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and weight management.

Therapies for psoriasis have advanced, including topicals, phototherapy, oral systemics, and biologics, which can reduce skin inflammation and potentially systemic inflammation, improving quality of life and possibly mitigating cardiovascular risks.

Lifestyle factors like diet, especially the Mediterranean diet, weight management, and adherence to treatments, play a crucial role in managing psoriasis and reducing cardiovascular risk.

Awareness of the link between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease is crucial for early intervention, effective treatment, and improved outcomes, emphasizing the importance of seeking specialist intervention and proactive health management.

Australia, like the rest of the western world, has a heart problem.

Over 9 million people around the world die from heart disease every year.

Every 10 minutes, someone in Australia suffers a heart attack. And 21 lives are lost daily because of it.

The devastating fact in all of this is…

Almost every one of those cases could have been prevented.

This podcast is for anyone who wants to improve their health literacy and gain information to help them make the best decisions about their risk of heart attack, their cholesterol, blood pressure, risk of diabetes, weight loss and general health. Join me on my personal mission journey to prevent Heart Attack on a global scale. If you like this podcast, I would be honoured by a 5-star review and appreciate if you let your friends and family know about this podcast; you may even save the life of someone you love!

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

94% of Australians have at least One Risk Factor for heart disease.

59% of Australians have been Touched by heart disease.

Yet only 3% of Australians have had a Full Heart-Health Assessment in the past 12 months.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

understand the present state of their heart’s health

recognise their current level of risk of suffering a heart attack

Learn the positive steps they can take to improve their situation

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

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By Doctor Warrick Bishop

4.9

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