Assessment of serum fatty acid-binding protein 4 and adiponectin levels in psoriasis patients and their correlation with disease severity

Background Psoriasis is a chronic multifactorial autoimmune disease that has significant impacts on the quality of life. Adiponectin exhibits important anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and antidiabetic effects. The role of fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) in psoriasis may be linked to tumor necrosis factor-α, which is one of the main cytokines contributing to the etiopathogenesis of this disease. Aim To understand the role of serum levels of FABP4 and adiponectin in disease pathogenesis and their correlation to disease severity. Patients and methods A case–control study was conducted on two groups. The first group included 35 psoriatic patients; the second group included 35 healthy volunteers matched for age, sex, and weight. Serum FABP4 and adiponectin levels were evaluated. Results The mean level of adiponectin among the patients was 4.3±1.4 ng/dl. The mean level of FABP4 among controls was 2.1±1.5 ng/dl. The difference between both groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion In this study, serum FABP4 level and adiponectin levels were decreased in patients with psoriasis with no relation to disease severity. So, they cannot be used as clinical biomarkers of inflammation and disease activity in psoriasis