title: Effect of psoriasis activity on serum adiponectin and leptin levels.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Psoriasis is an inflammatory and chronic skin disease associated with obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Adipokines, as bioactive substances secreted from adipose tissue, are involved in various metabolic diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between psoriasis severity and serum adiponectin and leptin levels in patients with psoriasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum fasting adiponectin and leptin levels were examined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 49 patients with relapse of plaque-type psoriasis and 16 healthy controls. The results were correlated with the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body mass index (BMI), several inflammatory markers, duration of the disease and present relapse.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum adiponectin and leptin levels were significantly decreased in psoriatic patients in comparison to the control group. There were no correlations between the above measures and PASI scores, patients' age, duration of the disease, present relapse and hospitalization, neither between white blood cells or platelets counts. Serum adiponectin levels significantly correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Adiponectin was negatively and leptin positively correlated to BMI at statistical significance. Multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation between adiponectin and CRP or PASI concentrations as well as between BMI and leptin concentration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data showed that serum adiponectin levels increase and serum leptin levels decrease with psoriasis severity. Leptin might be useful in assessing severity and the risk of complications of psoriasis. Moreover, these results confirmed the relationship between leptin, obesity and psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Iwona Flisiak MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baran
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Iwona Flisiak MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Flisiak
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Robert Flisiak MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jaroszewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland. Head of the Department: Prof. Robert Flisiak MD, PhD.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Świderska
keywords: adipokines; adiponectin; leptin; psoriasis; psoriasis severity