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Three million Americans live with psoriasis — a scaly, itchy red skin rash — and so far, there’s no cure. Doctors don’t know what causes the condition, but the immune system and genetics are partly to blame.

Researchers at NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute are trying to determine how psoriasis affects the heart because “people who have inflammation conditions such as psoriasis have vascular issues and abnormal blood pressure issues,” said Dr. Wunan Zhou, principal investigator.

Volunteers with psoriasis and other volunteers without the condition are now being sought to participate in an observational study.

The study requires psoriasis patients to make two visits to Bethesda, Maryland, scheduled a year apart. Each visit will last about four hours, wrapping up at around lunchtime. The study is also open to healthy adults over age 18; those participants make just one in-person visit to NIH.

At the in-person visits, all participants will take a stress test by pedaling on a stationary bike. “We’re asking them to do the stress test, which allows us to measure blood flow to the heart muscle,” said Zhou.

If your dermatologist recently prescribed a psoriasis treatment medication (which could be one of several biologic therapies that modify the immune system), you’re the perfect candidate for this study.

“For people who are starting their psoriasis treatment, we’ll see [whether it works],” Zhou said.

Volunteers will also undergo free PET imaging and an MRI — tests that are typically expensive but can reveal valuable personal health information. “The stress PET and stress MRI are clinically used tests that a cardiologist orders,” Zhou pointed out.

“It’s a nice way [to get health information] for their own knowledge. Having that information may be actually helpful for patients.”

In addition, participants may be able to help solve the mystery of psoriasis and how treatments may affect the heart. Learning more about the condition could help millions of people.

“It’s more common than you think,” Zhou said.

For more information or to volunteer, contact NIH’s Office of Patient Recruitment at 1-800-411-1222 or email prpl@cc.nih.gov.