Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jun 28;14(4):493-499.
doi: 10.4103/idoj.idoj_674_22. eCollection 2023 Jul-Aug.

A Notorious Trio! Inflammation, Metabolic Syndrome and Vitiligo

Amany I Mustafa  1 , Ahmed M Hamed  1 , Ahmed S Kadah  2 , Eman M Fawzy  3 , Ola S El Shimi  4
Affiliations

A Notorious Trio! Inflammation, Metabolic Syndrome and Vitiligo

Amany I Mustafa et al. Indian Dermatol Online J. .

Abstract

Background: There is evidence to support that vitiligo is linked to metabolic syndrome (MS), confirming its systemic nature. However, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms remain unknown.

Objectives: To reveal the possible association of MS with vitiligo. We also attempted to study the connection between some inflammatory markers and MS in vitiligo patients to evaluate their utility in predicting MS risk.

Materials and methods: The study included 100 vitiligo patients with an age range between 18 to 60 years and 100 controls with matched age, gender, and body mass index. All subjects were tested for MS components. Serum visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin), fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), vascular adhesion protein 1 (VAP-1), chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were also measured.

Results: Regarding MS, it was observed in 22.0% of vitiligo patients and 2.0% of control subjects (P < 0.001). Serum FABP4, VAP-1, YKL-40, and hs-CRP concentrations were higher in patients than in the control group (P < 0.05 each), and their levels showed high sensitivity and specificity to differentiate MS when using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Levels of these markers, except serum vaspin, were significantly positively correlated with lipid profile markers (except high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and fasting blood glucose levels (P < 0.05 each).

Conclusion: MS was more common in vitiligo patients. The levels of the biomarkers studied were significantly higher in vitiligo patients. Furthermore, their levels accurately predicted MS in vitiligo patients. According to current research, these markers may be useful in assessing MS risk in vitiligo patients. Extensive research, however, is required.

Keywords: Inflammation; metabolic syndrome; vitiligo.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Boxplot comparing vitiligo patients and healthy controls with regard to body mass index. Participants were stratified according to the median BMI of all studied subjects (BMI median: 25 kg/m2)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Boxplot comparing vitiligo patients and healthy controls with regard to age. Participants were stratified according to the median age of all studied subjects (age median: 35 years)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pietrzak A, Bartosińska J, Hercogová J, Lotti TM, Chodorowska G. Metabolic syndrome in vitiligo. Dermatol Ther. 2012;25((Suppl 1)):41–3. - PubMed
    1. Mohammed GF, Gomaa AH, Al-Dhubaibi MS. Highlights in pathogenesis of vitiligo. World J Clin Cases. 2015;3:221–30. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Page S, Chandhoke V, Baranova A. Melanin and melanogenesis in adipose tissue: Possible mechanisms for abating oxidative stress and inflammation? Obes Rev. 2011;12:e21–31. - PubMed
    1. Zhou SS, Li D, Zhou YM, Cao JM. The skin function: A factor of anti-metabolic syndrome. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2012;4:15. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hauner H. Secretory factors from human adipose tissue and their functional role. Proc Nutr Soc. 2005;64:163–9. - PubMed