Your new experience awaits. Try the new design now and help us make it even better

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.

Sec. Dermatology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1574896

Association between Life's Crucial 9 and psoriatic arthritis in US adults: a crosssectional study

Provisionally accepted
Jiefeng  JiangJiefeng Jiang1Lyuxin  GuanLyuxin Guan2Ziqin  GanZiqin Gan3Zhili  WuZhili Wu1Xiaofeng  LiangXiaofeng Liang1Zhiwen  ZhangZhiwen Zhang1Yansi  LyuYansi Lyu4*Yunsheng  LiangYunsheng Liang1*
  • 1Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • 2Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
  • 3Department of Dermatology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China
  • 4Department Of Dermatology, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has been closely associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Nevertheless, the connection between Life's Crucial 9 (LC9), which serves as a holistic measure of cardiovascular health (CVH), and PsA remains insufficiently studied. This research aims to explore the potential relationship between LC9 and the prevalence of PsA. Objective To investigate the role of LC9 in PsA and explore its implications. Methods This study utilized a cross-sectional, population-based design, analyzing data from 7,531 US participants aged 20 years or older, drawn from the 2005-2006 and 2009-2014 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The LC9 score, which encompasses nine distinct components, was classified into three CVH categories: low, moderate, and high. To explore the association between LC9 scores and the prevalence of PsA, logistic regression models and restricted cubic splines were applied. Results In the analyzed cohort of 7,531 individuals, participants with moderate or high CVH levels demonstrated a markedly reduced likelihood of developing PsA relative to those with low CVH. Additionally, a 10-point elevation in the LC9 score was associated with a 32% lower odds of having PsA. A notable interaction between LC9 and age was detected. Conversely, no meaningful link was found between LC9 and psoriasis without arthritis (PsC). Conclusion The LC9 score and its subcomponents are significantly negatively correlated with the risk of PsA. This suggests that adherence to the lifestyle defined by LC9 is associated with a lower prevalence of PsA.

Keywords: Cardiovascular health, Life's Crucial 9, NHANES, Psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis

Received: 11 Feb 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Jiang, Guan, Gan, Wu, Liang, Zhang, Lyu and Liang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Yansi Lyu, Department Of Dermatology, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen, China
Yunsheng Liang, Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.