Assessment of thyroid disorders in patients with rosacea: a large case-control study

Abstract Background: The frequency of autoimmune diseases and thyroid cancer has been increasingly reported in association with rosacea. However, studies investigating thyroid diseases in rosacea are scarce with conflicting results. Objective: To investigate the relationship between thyroid disorders and rosacea. Methods: A large case-control study on ageand gender-matched 2091 rosacea patients and 9572 controls was conducted. Rosacea patients using the rosacea-specific ICD codes were compiled from the hospital records. Additionally, all participants were evaluated in terms of the presence of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to compute case-control odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: The analysis comprehended 2091 rosacea patients (1546 female, 545 male; mean 48.73 ± 14.53 years) and 9572 controls (7009 female, 2563 male; mean 48.73 ± 15.1 years). Whereas the rate of hypothyroidism was significantly higher in rosacea patients (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.13-1.49, p < 0.001), there was no significant difference in the rate of hyperthyroidism between the groups (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 0.81-1.53, p = 0.497). Stratification for gender revealed a significant association between hypothyroidism and rosacea in females (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.1-1.47, p = 0.002) and males (OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.04-2.4, p = 0.032). The frequency of hypothyroidism in rosacea patients increased towards the age range of 40-49 and then decreased, parallel with the hypothyroidism frequency of the study population. Study limitations: Different subtypes and severities of rosacea were not distinguished. Conclusions: Hypothyroidism may be a comorbidity of rosacea and investigation for hypothyroidism may be appropriate when evaluating rosacea patients.

Blood microRNA expressions in patients with mild to moderate psoriasis and the relationship between microRNAs and psoriasis activity

Abstract Background: In recent studies, microRNAs (mi-RNAs) have been shown to play an important role in psoriasis pathogenesis. However, studies evaluating mi-RNAs in the blood of psoriasis patients including a large number of mi-RNA panels are scarce. Objective: The authors aimed to assess mi-RNA expressions in blood samples of psoriasis patients, as well as to evaluate the association between mi-RNA expression and psoriasis severity. Methods: This was a case-control study on 52 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 54 controls. Patients' medical history, psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores, and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) scores were recorded. The 42 disease-related mi-RNA primers were assessed by real-time PCR. Results: In the patient group, 13.4% presented nail involvement and 8.2% had psoriatic arthritis. The mean PASI and DLQI scores were 7.90 ± 8.83 and 8.13 ± 5.50, respectively. Among 42 mi-RNA primers; hsa-miR-155-5p, hsa-miR-369-3p, hsa-miR-193b-3p, hsa-miR-498, hsa-miR-1266-5p, hsa-let-7d-5p, hsa-miR-205-5p, hsa-let-7c-5p, hsa-miR-30b-3p, and hsa-miR-515-3p expressions were significantly up-regulated, whereas hsa-miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-142-3p, hsa-miR-424-5p, hsa-miR-223-3p, hsa-miR-26a-5p, hsa-miR-106b-5p, hsa-miR-126-5p, hsa-miR-181a-5p, hsa-miR-222-3p, hsa-miR-22-3p, hsa-miR-24-3p, hsa-miR-17-3p, hsa-miR-30b-5p, hsa-miR-130a-3p, hsa-miR-30e-5p, and hsa-miR-16-5p were significantly down-regulated in psoriasis patients when compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Study limitations: As the study included patients with mild to moderate psoriasis who mostly only received topical treatments, changes in miRNA before and after systemic treatments were not assessed. Conclusion: The detection of 24 mi-RNA expressions up- or down-regulated in psoriasis patients, even in those with milder disease, further supports the role of mi-RNAs in the psoriasis pathogenesis. Future studies should clarify whether mi-RNAs can be used as a marker for psoriasis prognosis or as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of psoriasis.