Investigation of Serum Visfatin Levels in Patients with Psoriasis vulgaris: A Case-Control Study

Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune skin disease associated with systemic inflammation. Visfatin is a multifunctional adipocytokine that plays a key role in immune regulation, inflammation, and angiogenesis. This study aimed to investigate serum visfatin levels in patients with plaque psoriasis and assess their associations with disease severity and clinical features, including nail and joint involvement. This prospective case-control study included 30 patients with plaque psoriasis and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Serum visfatin levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Disease severity was assessed using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) Clinical features, including nail and joint involvement, were recorded. The groups were comparable in terms of age and sex. Serum visfatin levels were significantly higher in patients with psoriasis compared with controls (14.5 ± 4.6 vs. 8.1 ± 3.9 ng/mL, p < 0.001). In the psoriasis group, serum visfatin levels strongly and positively correlated with PASI scores (r = 0.80, p < 0.001). Notably, serum visfatin levels were significantly elevated in patients with joint involvement compared with those without (17.9 ± 2.8 vs. 13.8 ± 4.6 ng/mL, p = 0.037) and in patients with nail involvement compared with those without (16.5 ± 4.05 vs. 12.9 ± 4.5 ng/mL, p = 0.039). No significant association was found between visfatin levels and disease duration (p = 0.157). Serum visfatin levels were significantly elevated in patients with psoriasis and were strongly associated with disease severity and clinical features, including nail and joint involvement. These findings suggest that serum visfatin may be associated with psoriasis severity and selected clinical manifestations; however, its utility as a biomarker for disease activity or longitudinal disease monitoring requires further investigation.