{"title":"Effects of Biologics on Fibrosis-4 Index in Patients with Psoriasis.","authors":"Takashi Morita, Susumu Ichiyama, Michiko Ito, Saeko Ozaki, Taeang Arai, Masanori Atsukawa, Katsuhiko Iwakiri, Teppei Hagino, Toshihiko Hoashi, Naoko Kanda, Hidehisa Saeki","doi":"10.1272/jnms.JNMS.2025_92-114","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Psoriasis is accompanied by systemic inflammation that includes the liver. The fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index was developed to predict significant liver fibrosis. The present study evaluated the effects of biologics, including TNF inhibitors, on the FIB-4 index in psoriasis patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>All adult patients with psoriasis who were prescribed biologics (TNF inhibitors, IL-17 inhibitors, or IL-23 inhibitors) at Nippon Medical School from June 2014 to January 2024 for the first time (biologic-naïve patients) were included in this study. The FIB-4 index was calculated before and after 6 months of treatment with biologics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 105 patients were enrolled. The FIB-4 index was higher after 6 months of treatment with TNF inhibitors (P=0.0018) and IL-17 inhibitors (P=0.045) but did not change with IL-23 inhibitors. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels did not change after treatment with TNF inhibitors, IL-17 inhibitors, or IL-23 inhibitors. Platelet count decreased after treatment with TNF inhibitors (P=0.0011) and IL-23 inhibitors (P=0.039) but did not change with IL-17 inhibitors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Downregulation of platelets seems to be a major contributing factor for the increase in FIB-4 index in patients treated with TNF inhibitors. Although the FIB-4 index is a simple marker to screen for liver fibrosis, changes in this index should be interpreted with caution, and imaging findings such as transient elastography should also be used to evaluate the status of liver fibrosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":56076,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nippon Medical School","volume":"92 1","pages":"88-96"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Nippon Medical School","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1272/jnms.JNMS.2025_92-114","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Psoriasis is accompanied by systemic inflammation that includes the liver. The fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index was developed to predict significant liver fibrosis. The present study evaluated the effects of biologics, including TNF inhibitors, on the FIB-4 index in psoriasis patients.
Methods: All adult patients with psoriasis who were prescribed biologics (TNF inhibitors, IL-17 inhibitors, or IL-23 inhibitors) at Nippon Medical School from June 2014 to January 2024 for the first time (biologic-naïve patients) were included in this study. The FIB-4 index was calculated before and after 6 months of treatment with biologics.
Results: A total of 105 patients were enrolled. The FIB-4 index was higher after 6 months of treatment with TNF inhibitors (P=0.0018) and IL-17 inhibitors (P=0.045) but did not change with IL-23 inhibitors. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels did not change after treatment with TNF inhibitors, IL-17 inhibitors, or IL-23 inhibitors. Platelet count decreased after treatment with TNF inhibitors (P=0.0011) and IL-23 inhibitors (P=0.039) but did not change with IL-17 inhibitors.
Conclusions: Downregulation of platelets seems to be a major contributing factor for the increase in FIB-4 index in patients treated with TNF inhibitors. Although the FIB-4 index is a simple marker to screen for liver fibrosis, changes in this index should be interpreted with caution, and imaging findings such as transient elastography should also be used to evaluate the status of liver fibrosis.
期刊介绍:
The international effort to understand, treat and control disease involve clinicians and researchers from many medical and biological science disciplines. The Journal of Nippon Medical School (JNMS) is the official journal of the Medical Association of Nippon Medical School and is dedicated to furthering international exchange of medical science experience and opinion. It provides an international forum for researchers in the fields of bascic and clinical medicine to introduce, discuss and exchange thier novel achievements in biomedical science and a platform for the worldwide dissemination and steering of biomedical knowledge for the benefit of human health and welfare. Properly reasoned discussions disciplined by appropriate references to existing bodies of knowledge or aimed at motivating the creation of such knowledge is the aim of the journal.