Cytokines and Vascular Inflammation in Psoriasis

Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease involving the skin, the joints and the vascular compartment. The mechanisms linking inflammation in the skin and joints and in the vascular walls are poorly understood. One hypothesis for the increase in vascular inflammation observed in patients with psoriasis involves circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines. Patients with psoriasis have an increase in serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), Interleukin-17 (IL-17), IL-22, IL-6 as well as a the chemokine S100A913. It is possible that one of those cytokines/chemokine induces vascular inflammation in the vascular compartment. The purpose of this cross sectional retrospective study is to highlight the correlation between vascular wall inflammation using 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose - Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) fluorodeoxyglucose technology and pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokine.