A Study to Compare Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Psoriatic Patients Versus Normal Population from Taibah University and its Possible Role as A Marker of Disease Severity
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- Category: Vol. 80, September 2012
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A Study to Compare Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Psoriatic Patients Versus Normal Population from Taibah University and its Possible Role as A Marker of Disease Severity,ASMAA A. EL REWENY, ABDELAZIZ A.A. ALGHAITHY and AZZA HAMDY
Abstract
Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperproliferation, defec-tive terminal differentiation and focal accumulation of neu-trophils in the epidermis. Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-a) is an inflammatory cytokine recognized as an important mediator in many cytokine-dependent inflammatory events. The TNF-a is a multifunctional inflammatory cytokine. It has been implicated as a key cytokine in the pathogenesis of psoriasis because of its ability, alone or in interactions with other mediators, to induce several cytokines and adhesion molecules involved in the development of psoriatic lesions.
Aim: The present study aimed to compare the level of TNF-a in psoriatic patients with that in normal population and to demonstrate if there is possible correlation of this level with the clinical severity and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score (PASI score) in order to elucidate whether this cytokine can be used as a marker of the disease severity in psoriasis.
Patients and Methods: Serum level of TNF-a in a group of psoriatic patients from Al Madinah AL Watani Hospital (34 patients) was compared with those of normal control group from Taibah University volunteers (15 individual) by using ELISA technique.
Results: Serum level of TNF-a of psoriatic patients was significantly higher than those of normal controls. No signif-icant correlation was shown between TNF-a and PASI score.
Conclusion: TNF-a plays an important role in the devel-opment of psoriasis possibly through its hyperproliferative effect on keratinocytes by various cytokines. The current results could not consider TNF-a as a marker of disease severity in psoriasis.