title: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, spleen and psoriasis: New aspects of low-grade chronic inflammation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate spleen status in psoriasis and its relationship with hepatic steatosis, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, and insulin resistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-nine psoriatic patients who were not suffering from any chronic inflammatory disease were retrospectively selected for inclusion in this study, and their complete medical records were accessed. An age- and sex-matched group of 80 non-psoriatic, obese patients was included as a control. The following relevant data were collected: age, sex, weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, insulin resistance status, age at psoriasis onset, and severity of psoriasis. Abdominal ultrasonography was performed to determine spleen longitudinal diameter (SLD), and hepatic steatosis grade.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SLD of control obese patients was greater than that of psoriatic subjects (P = 0.013), but body mass index predicted the size of the spleen in psoriatic patients (P < 0.001). The SLD of psoriatic patients with normal weight was significantly reduced with respect to the overweight/obese psoriatic patients (P = 0.002). A multiple regression analysis revealed that body mass index was a unique predictor of the spleen size (P < 0.001). Finally, the disease duration predicted the spleen size in psoriatic subjects (P = 0.038).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows a correlation between the SLD and the duration of psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Nicola Balato, Maddalena Napolitano, Fabio Ayala, Cataldo Patruno, Matteo Megna, Department of Dermatology, Federico II University of Naples, Naples 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Balato
authors.affiliation: Nicola Balato, Maddalena Napolitano, Fabio Ayala, Cataldo Patruno, Matteo Megna, Department of Dermatology, Federico II University of Naples, Naples 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Napolitano
authors.affiliation: Nicola Balato, Maddalena Napolitano, Fabio Ayala, Cataldo Patruno, Matteo Megna, Department of Dermatology, Federico II University of Naples, Naples 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ayala
authors.affiliation: Nicola Balato, Maddalena Napolitano, Fabio Ayala, Cataldo Patruno, Matteo Megna, Department of Dermatology, Federico II University of Naples, Naples 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Cataldo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Patruno
authors.affiliation: Nicola Balato, Maddalena Napolitano, Fabio Ayala, Cataldo Patruno, Matteo Megna, Department of Dermatology, Federico II University of Naples, Naples 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Megna
authors.affiliation: Nicola Balato, Maddalena Napolitano, Fabio Ayala, Cataldo Patruno, Matteo Megna, Department of Dermatology, Federico II University of Naples, Naples 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tarantino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009765:Obesity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009929:Organ Size; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hepatic steatosis; Inflammation; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Psoriasis; Spleen size