Relationship of disease severity with adropin levels and thyroid hormones in psoriasis patients

Abstract

Psoriasis is a complex disease that goes beyond the skin lesions and is accompanied by systemic inflammation, metabolic disorders and endocrine disorders. Adropin is a peptide with regulatory effects on energy metabolism, inflammatory reactions and vascular functions. The aim of this study was to determine serum adropin levels and thyroid hormone parameters in patients with psoriasis and to investigate the relationship between adropin levels and disease severity, metabolic profile and inflammatory markers. The study included 50 patients with psoriasis and 39 healthy volunteers. Anthropometric measurements, metabolic and inflammatory parameters, thyroid function tests and serum adropin levels were analyzed in all participants. The severity of the disease was assessed using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). The differences between the groups were statistically compared and the correlations between adropin levels and clinical/biochemical variables were analyzed. In addition, the diagnostic value of adropin in discriminating disease status was assessed by ROC analysis. In the patient group, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hs-CRP, triglycerides and TPO-Ab levels were statistically significantly higher, while HDL-C and adropin levels were significantly lower compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Serum adropin levels showed a negative correlation with hs-CRP, BMI and waist circumference. The ROC analysis revealed poor discriminatory power of adropin in distinguishing patients from controls (AUC = 0.252), with low sensitivity (4.0%) but high specificity (100.0%). Although adropin did not demonstrate diagnostic utility, its inverse association with systemic inflammation highlights its biological relevance in the pathophysiology of psoriasis. Elevated TPO-Ab levels in the patient group further support the coexistence of autoimmune and endocrine components in psoriasis. These findings suggest that adropin may serve as a biomarker of systemic involvement rather than skin lesion severity in psoriasis and could contribute to understanding disease pathophysiology and related comorbidities. Therefore, while adropin does not appear to be suitable for diagnostic use in psoriasis, it retains biological significance in reflecting systemic metabolic and inflammatory dysregulation.