The Relation of Serum Visfatin Level and Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease with Metabolic Syndrome and its Components

Objective: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which is frequently associated with comorbidities including metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.Visfatin is an adipokine secreted either from adipocytes or cells of the stromal vascular fraction of white adipose tissue and its high concentrations is known to be in a relationship with abdominal obesity and chronic inflamation.This study investigates serum levels of visfatin in patients with psoriasis to reveal that high levels of this novel adipokine is related to metabolic syndrome. Our patients are also undergo ultrasonografic liver screening, therefore we consider how psoriasis is linked to metabolic syndrome and non alcoholic fatty liver disease. Method: In this study, we evaluated 80 severe and moderate psoriasis patients which are requested Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Medicine, Dermatology Department outpatient clinic. They divided into 2 groups as patients with metabolic syndrome and without diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. A healthy control group, 40 people with no history and diagnosis of psoriasis and metabolic syndrome are also included. The body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference were calculated. The score of PASI, grade of non alcoholic fatty liver disease and levels of SGOP, SGPT were noted. For quantification of the visfatin, ELISA based assay was used in clinical biochemistry department. Results: Visfatin levels have been analysed in 40 psoriasis and metabolic syndrome patients, 40 psoriasis patients without metabolic syndrome (healthy psoriasis patients) and 40 healthy volunteers. 64 patients have modarate psoriasis and 16 patients have severe psoriasis. The avarage age is 52 and the mean BMI score of psoriasis group is 28.74. The ultrasonografic examination revealed no steatosis in 4 patients (%5), grade 3 hepatosteatosis in 8 patients (%10). Non alcoholic fatty liver disease and the severity of hepatosteatosis were determined significantly higher in psoriasis patients with metabolic syndrome (p<0.001). On the other hand the prevelance of the non alcoholic fatty liver disease has showed no difference between healthy controls and healthy psoriasis patients (p=0.469). Visfatin levels were found istatistically higher in the healthy psoriasis group versus control group. Neither healthy psoriasis patients nor psoriasis patients with metabolic syndrome, a significant difference could be observed both group (p=0.980). Eventually we have evaluated the serum visfatin levels in psoriasis patients with metabolic sydrome components such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and/or NAFLD versus healthy controls but no corelation detected (p=0.246; p=0.884; p=0.684; p=0.521; p=0.259). Conclusions: Prevalance of non alcholic fatty liver disease was observed to be higher in psoriasis patients. However there were no difference between controls and healthy psoriasis patients for prevalance of non alcholic fatty liver disease. Therefore we think that this result supports the metabolic syndrome and psoriasis relationship. Visfatin levels detected significantly higher in psoriasis patients independetly from metabolic syndrome and its components. These findings suggest that high visfatin levels might play role in chronic inflammation seen in psoriasis.