Evidence Hub

Drug-induced psoriasis following sacubitril/valsartan: a case report and literature review

Tang T, Guo M, Yu H, Zhang Y, Lei S, Li S, Chen W, Lou Y

BMC cardiovascular disorders, 2026

Abstract

Background: Drug exposure is one of the potential mechanisms implicated in the onset or exacerbation of psoriasis. To date, several cardiovascular agents have been implicated. Sacubitril/valsartan (SV) has been widely used in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure (HF). Its common adverse reactions include angioedema, hypotension, renal impairment, and hyperkalemia. However, SV may cause psoriasis, which needs clinical attention.

Case presentation: This report describes a case of a middle-aged male patient who developed psoriasis following SV therapy. The rashes presented as well-demarcated red or violaceous plaques with noticeable scaling. After being diagnosed with psoriasis, he was started on topical clobetasol propionate ointment, and SV was discontinued and replaced with ramipril for blood pressure control. During follow-up, the skin lesions showed marked improvement. However, the patient developed similar cutaneous manifestations again when SV was re-administered. He had previously developed psoriasis while using nifedipine, but transitioned to olmesartan and subsequently improved significantly with topical medication. Sacubitril enhances the effect of natriuretic peptides, which may be accompanied by a compensatory increase in angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ) levels, possibly contributing to the psoriasis.

Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case worldwide of psoriasis potentially associated with SV, and the underlying mechanism appears…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free