Serum Level of High Mobility Group Box1 Protein Among Iraqi Psoriatic Patients and its Relationship with Disease Severity and Comorbidities

Background: Psoriasis is a persistent, inflammatory skin condition characterized by distinct clinical and histological features. The disease is linked to systemic inflammation and immune system dysregulation. High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) is one of the innate immunity components that have been implicated in disease development and severity. Objective: Evaluate the mean serum levels of High Mobility Group Box1 Protein (HMGB1) in Iraqi patients with psoriasis and analyze its potential association with disease severity and complications. Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 110 individuals. The patient group included 60 randomly selected patients with a mean age of 37.23±8.26 years old, and the control group included 50 randomly selected volunteers (35.32±7.53 years). Blood specimens were obtained from all participants after acquiring verbal permission. The ELISA technique was used to measure the serum levels of HMGB1. Results: The mean level of HMGB1 was 7.21±0.75 ng/ml in patients compared to 6.42±0.69 ng/ml in controls, although the difference was non-significant (p=0.451). The mean level of HMGB1 was significantly associated with response to treatment. Also, the mean level of HMGB1 was significantly higher in individuals with metabolic syndrome. In contrast, the mean level of HMGB1 was non-significantly associated with other complications and disease severity. Conclusions: HMGB1 serum level was elevated non-significantly in psoriasis patients, but it was significantly correlated with metabolic syndrome and good treatment response, so it could be used as a predictor for metabolic syndrome and good management.