Free fatty acids in the blood serum of psoriatics.

Free fatty acids in the serum of 60 patients with generalized psoriasis were studied by a gas-chromatographic method. The same investigations in 40 healthy persons served for control purposes. It was established with statistical probability (p less than 0.001) that in the serum of psoriatics the levels of palmitic (C 16: 0), stearic (C 18: 0), arachidic (C 20: 0), and docosadienic (C 20: 2) acids were increased, while the levels of the linoleic (C 18: 2) and arachidonic (C 20: 4) acids were depressed. There is no behenic acid (C 22: 0) in the blood serum of psoriatics. Thalassotherapy caused no significant changes in the levels of these free fatty acids in psoriatics.