Serum Levels of TNF-α, IL-12/23p40, and IL-17 in Plaque Psoriasis and Their Correlation with Disease Severity

Table 5

Inclusion criteria and populations’ characteristics of the published studies conducted to evaluate the levels of various circulating cytokines in the serum of psoriatic patients.

Ref. number	Study populations’ characteristics/inclusion criteria
	Age (years)	Sex F/M	Clinical forms of skin psoriasis included	Psoriatic arthritis (PsA)	PASI (0–72)	Nail psoriasis	Treatment
[27]	N/A	N/A	Psoriatic patients; not further clarified	N/A	N/A	N/A	Untreated topically and systematically ≥14 days before enrolment
[28]	Mean ± SD: 40.2 ± 17.4; Range: 6.0–72.0	31/29	Plaque psoriasis 83.3%, guttate 10.0%, flexural 3.3%, pustular 1.6%, palmoplantar 1.6%	Present in 23.3%	PASI 25: 76.6%; PASI > 25: 23.3%	N/A	Untreated topically ≥2 weeks before enrolment; Untreated systematically ≥6 weeks before enrolment
[29]	Mean ± SD: 35.0 ± 15.5; Range: 7.0–79.0	12/18	Plaque psoriasis	Excluded	Mean ± SD: 9.3 ± 8.15; Range: 1.5–33.3	N/A	Untreated topically and systematically ≥2 months before enrolment
[30]	Mean: 38.0; Range: 18.0–77.0	20/35	Psoriatic patients; not further clarified	N/A	Mean ± SD: 21.7 ± 8.3	N/A	N/A (treatment before enrolment)
[31]	N/A	N/A	Plaque psoriasis: 9/12; Guttate psoriasis: 2/12; Erythrodermic psoriasis: 1/12	N/A	N/A	N/A	10/12 untreated at the time of enrolment; 2/12 on methotrexate
[32]^*	Median: 52.5; Range: 18.0–81.0	25/12	Plaque psoriasis	N/A	Median: 11.4; Range 3.5–42.0	N/A	N/A
[33]	N/A	14/31	Plaque psoriasis	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
[34]	Mean ± SD: 47.5 ± 7.6; Range: 25.0–72.0	41/81	Psoriasis vulgaris: 102/122; Guttate psoriasis: 7/122; Erythrodermic psoriasis: 5/122	Present in 8/122	Mean ± SD: 7.3 ± 4.2; Range: 0.7–32.3	N/A	Treated, untreated, well-controlled, and poorly controlled cases. Treatments: topical steroid, topical vitamin D3, psoralen ultraviolet A, and systemic treatments (etretinate, ciclosporin)
[35]	Stable, plaque type psoriasis: Mean: 50.0; Range: 24.0–85.0; Highly active psoriasis: Mean: 47.7; Range: 27.0–76.0; Acute guttate psoriasis: Mean: 31.3; Range: 18.0–49.0	N/A	Stable, plaque type psoriasis: 16/52; Highly active psoriasis: 22/52; Acute guttate psoriasis: 14/52	N/A	N/A	N/A	None of the patients received local nor systemic antipsoriatic treatment prior to the study
[36]	Mean ± SD: 34.5 ± 13.3; Range: 15.0–65.0	13/17	Psoriasis vulgaris: 90%; 10% not clarified	4/30: joint complaints; 1/4: showed radiological; evidence of PsA	N/A	N/A	N/A
[37]	Mean: 47.0; Range: 21.0–64.0	4/10	Psoriasis vulgaris	Excluded	Mean: 8.5; Range: 2.0–25.3	N/A	Untreated, topically and systematically ≥4 weeks before enrolment
[38]	Median: 52.5; Range: 15.0–82.0	19/1	Plaque psoriasis: 18/20; Suberythrodermic psoriasis: 1/20; Pustular psoriasis: 1/20	N/A	Median: 11.4; Range: 3.0–40.5	N/A	Untreated topically and systematically ≥10 days before enrolment
[39]	Mean ± SD: 40.6 ± 13.6	34/36	Plaque psoriasis: 30/70; Guttate psoriasis: 20/70; Pustular psoriasis: 20/70	N/A	Mean ± SD: 6.6 ± 5.4	N/A	Newly diagnosed or; without systemic treatment ≥2 months before enrolment
[40]	Mean ± SD: 45.6 ± 13.2; Range: 18.0–69.0	10/50	Psoriatic patients; not further clarified	N/A	Mean ± SD: 15.7 ± 9.7; Range: 4.8–64.2	N/A	N/A
[41]	Mean ± SD: 43.8 ± 15.1; Range: 18.0–71.0	21/27	Psoriatic patients; not further clarified	N/A	N/A	N/A	Untreated topically and systematically ≥4 weeks before enrolment
Our study	Mean ± SD: 44.5 ± 15.6	23/9	Active, chronic plaque psoriasis	Excluded	Median: 4.1; Range: 2.2–15.0	Excluded	Untreated topically and systematically ≥1 year before enrolment

Ref. number: reference number; F/M: females/males; N/A: not available; ^*data retrieved from the abstract, since no full-text file was available.