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Background: Psoriasis is observationally associated with a higher risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, the causal relationship between the two diseases remains unclear. Objective: We hypothesized that individuals with NAFLD or elevated liver fat content have higher risk of psoriasis and that NAFLD is a causal risk factor for psoriasis. We tested this using a Mendelian randomization approach. Methods: We included 108,835 individuals from the Danish general population, including 1,277 individuals with psoriasis and 802 individuals with NAFLD according to ICD codes. To estimate liver fat content, a subset of the participants (N = 7,416) also had a CT scan performed. First, we tested whether a diagnosis of NAFLD or elevated liver fat content was observationally associated with risk of psoriasis. Subsequently, we used the genetic variants PNPLA3 and TM6SF2, both strongly associated with NAFLD and high liver fat content, to test whether NAFLD was causally associated with increased risk of psoriasis. Results: Observationally, individuals with vs. without a diagnosis of NAFLD had higher risk of psoriasis with an odds ratio of 2.03 (95% confidence interval 1.28- 3.21). The risk of psoriasis increased in a stepwise manner with increasing liver fat content with an odds ratio of 5.00 (2.63-9.46) in individuals in the highest quartile of liver fat content compared to individuals in the lowest quartile. In genetic analyses, PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 were both associated with increased risk of NAFLD but not with increased risk of psoriasis. Conclusion: Observationally, a diagnosis of NAFLD or elevated liver fat content was associated with higher risk of psoriasis. However, using genetic variants as a proxy for NAFLD, we did not find evidence of a causal relationship between NAFLD and psoriasis. Thus, the observational association between NAFLD and psoriasis is presumably a result of shared confounding factors or reverse causation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background and aims We aimed to test the hypothesis that levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are increased after Christmas and that the risk of hypercholesterolemia is increased after the Christmas holidays. Methods We conducted an observational study of 25,764 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study, Denmark, aged 20–100 years. Main outcome measures were mean total and LDL cholesterol levels. Hypercholesterolemia was defined as total cholesterol >5 mmol/L (>193 mg/dL) or LDL-cholesterol >3 mmol/L (>116 mg/dL). Results Mean levels of total and LDL cholesterol increased in individuals examined in summer through December and January. Compared with individuals examined in May–June, those examined in December–January had 15% higher total cholesterol levels (p < 0.001). The corresponding value for LDL cholesterol was 20% (p < 0.001). Of the individuals attending the study during the first week of January, immediately after the Christmas holidays, 77% had LDL cholesterol above 3 mmol/L (116 mg/dL) and 89% had total cholesterol above 5 mmol/L (193 mg/dL). In individuals attending the Copenhagen General Population Study in the first week of January, the multivariable adjusted odds ratio of hypercholesterolemia was 6.0 (95% confidence interval 4.2–8.5) compared with individuals attending the study during the rest of the year. Conclusions Celebrating Christmas is associated with higher levels of total and LDL cholesterol and a higher risk of hypercholesterolemia in individuals in the general population. Thus, a diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia should not be made around Christmas, and our results stress the need for re-testing such patients later and certainly prior to initiation of cholesterol-lowering treatment. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Celebrating Christmas is associated with higher levels of total and LDL cholesterol. • Celebrating Christmas is associated with a higher risk of hypercholesterolemia. • A diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia should not be made around Christmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Whether high blood eosinophils are associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations among individuals with COPD in the general population is largely unknown.Objectives: To test the hypothesis that high blood eosinophils predict COPD exacerbations.Methods: Among 81,668 individuals in the Copenhagen General Population Study, we examined 7,225 with COPD based on spirometry. We recorded blood eosinophils at baseline and future COPD exacerbations longitudinally, defined as moderate (short-course treatment with systemic corticosteroids) or severe (hospitalization). We also assessed exacerbation risk in a subgroup of 203 individuals with clinical COPD, defined as participants with a smoking history of at least 10 pack-years, FEV1 less than 70% of predicted value, and at least one moderate or severe exacerbation in the year before baseline.Measurements and Main Results: During a median of 3.3 years of follow-up (range, 0.03-8.1), 1,439 severe and 2,864 moderate COPD exacerbations were recorded. Among all participants with COPD, blood eosinophils above versus below 0.34 × 10(9) cells per liter had multivariable-adjusted incidence rate ratios of 1.76 (95% confidence interval, 1.56-1.99) for severe exacerbations and 1.15 (1.05-1.27) for moderate exacerbations. Corresponding values in those with clinical COPD were 3.21 (2.49-4.14) and 1.69 (1.40-2.04). In contrast, using a cutpoint of 2% for blood eosinophils, the risk of exacerbations was increased for severe exacerbations only among individuals with clinical COPD and not in individuals in the broader population.Conclusions: Among individuals with COPD in the general population, increased blood eosinophil levels above 0.34 × 10(9) cells per liter were associated with a 1.76-fold increased risk of severe exacerbations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]