The correlation between response to oral cyclosporin therapy and systemic inflammation, metabolic abnormality in patients with psoriasis

Psoriasis is a disease presenting cutaneous, immunological and vascular abnormalities. Oral cyclosporin therapy has been shown to be effective for the disease. Clinical and laboratory findings affecting the response of oral cyclosporin therapy in patients with psoriasis were studied. Forty-seven patients with psoriasis (male:female = 27:20, age 56.7 + 12.6 years) were studied. The response to oral cyclosporin therapy was categorized as excellent, good, fair and poor according to decrease of PASI score and decrease of cyclosporin dose. Clinical and laboratory findings including cyclosporin trough level and high sensitivity-CRP were statistically analyzed. Nine patients showed excellent response, 17 good response, 19 fair response and 2 poor response. High sensitivity-CRP (0.11 ± 0.02 mg/dl) in fair response patients to oral cyclosporin therapy was significantly lower than those in excellent response patients (0.42 ± 0.21 mg/dl) (P ≤ 0.05). Body mass index (23.4 ± 0.6 kg/m²), HDL-cholesterol (57.1 ± 3.6 mg/dl) and fasting plasma glucose (105 ± 5 mg/dl) in fair response patients to oral cyclosporin therapy was significantly lower, higher and lower than those in excellent response patients (25.7 ± 0.9 kg/m²; 43.0 ± 2.8, 140 ± 20 mg/dl) (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.05), respectively. No other clinical and laboratory findings showed statistical significance among excellent, good and fair response patients. These results showed the correlation between response of oral cyclosporin therapy and systemic inflammation, metabolic abnormality in patients with psoriasis.