As a new year begins, we celebrate the beginning of something new and exciting. This year, that includes several new medication approvals from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Beyond the red, itchy patches in patients with psoriasis, other problems may lay beneath their skin.

Psoriasis has been linked to a number of other health problems, including metabolic syndrome (a set of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes). Now, the link between psoriasis and diabetes has become clearer.

Overweight children have a significantly higher prevalence of psoriasis - and they are also at higher risk for heart disease that starts in childhood with higher cholesterol levels.

Even if a drug was meant to fight one disease, it often happens that the drug can protect patients against other health problems. This seems to be the case with some arthritis drugs.