Assessment of serum calprotectin in atopic dermatitis patients and its correlation with disease severity

Context Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, pruritic inflammatory skin disorder that usually commences in early infancy but can impact adults, besides being the initial condition to manifest in the ‘atopic march’ theory. Calprotectin (CP) is a biomarker for several inflammatory disorders owing to its involvement in inflammation pathophysiology. Although CP levels are elevated in some dermatological disorders, their serum level was not examined in AD patients. Aims This study aimed to assess the serum CP level in AD patients as well as assess AD risk and severity. Settings and design This case–control study involved 30 AD patients and 22 healthy controls recruited from the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic. Methods and patient The AD severity was assessed via the Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis Index. Serum CP was evaluated in both groups using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis used The data normality was evaluated utilizing the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. The χ 2 test, Spearman correlation test, and Kruskal–Wallis test were employed. Results Serum CP levels were significantly higher in AD patients than in controls. Furthermore, serum CP levels and disease severity showed no significant association. Additionally, no significant connection was recognized between serum CP levels regarding sex in either group. Conclusions Serum CP levels are elevated in AD patients compared with controls, indicating that CP may have a role in AD pathogenesis.