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. 2024 Sep;51(9):1216-1224.
doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.17277. Epub 2024 May 28.

Interleukin-23 inhibitors decrease Fibrosis-4 index in psoriasis patients with elevated Fibrosis-4 index but not inteleukin-17 inhibitors

Ryosuke Takeshima  1 , Masahiro Kamata  1 , Shoya Suzuki  1 , Makoto Ito  1 , Ayu Watanabe  1 , Hideaki Uchida  1 , Chika Chijiwa  1 , Yoshiki Okada  1 , Saori Azuma  1 , Mayumi Nagata  1 , Shota Egawa  1 , Azusa Hiura  1 , Saki Fukaya  1 , Kotaro Hayashi  1 , Atsuko Fukuyasu  1 , Takamitsu Tanaka  1 , Takeko Ishikawa  1 , Yayoi Tada  1
Affiliations

Interleukin-23 inhibitors decrease Fibrosis-4 index in psoriasis patients with elevated Fibrosis-4 index but not inteleukin-17 inhibitors

Ryosuke Takeshima et al. J Dermatol. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

Recent studies indicate that hepatic diseases are associated with psoriasis. Non-invasive tests, including the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, which can confidently rule out the presence of advanced fibrosis, are currently receiving attention. However, data on the FIB-4 index in psoriasis patients and the effects of biologics on the FIB-4 index are limited. We investigated the relationships between the FIB-4 index and demographic or clinical characteristics as well as the effects of biologics on the FIB-4 index in psoriasis patients. Psoriasis patients aged 36-64 years, whose treatment was initiated with interleukin (IL)-17 inhibitors or IL-23 inhibitors for psoriasis from May 2015 to December 2022, were consecutively included. Data were collected retrospectively from the patients' charts. A total of 171 psoriasis patients were included in this study. Thirty-four, 43, 21, 32, and 41 psoriasis patients were treated with secukinumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab, guselkumab, or risankizumab, respectively. In biologics-naïve patients, a significant but weak positive correlation was observed between the FIB-4 index and age (r = 0.3246, p = 0.0018). There was no significant correlation between the FIB-4 index and other demographic or clinical characteristics. Regarding the effects of biologics on the FIB-4 index, no significant change was observed in psoriasis patients treated with any biologics. However, in psoriasis patients with a baseline FIB-4 index of >1.3, patients treated with guselkumab and those treated with either IL-23 inhibitor showed significantly decreased FIB-4 index scores 6 months after initiating the biologics (p = 0.0323, p = 0.0212). In contrast, no change was observed in FIB-4 index scores in patients treated with IL-17 inhibitors. In conclusion, our study revealed that the FIB-4 index was correlated with age in psoriasis patients. Furthermore, IL-23 inhibitors (but not IL-17 inhibitors) decreased the FIB-4 index score at 6 months in psoriasis patients with elevated FIB-4 index scores at baseline. Further studies are needed to clarify whether IL-23 inhibitors improve liver fibrosis physiologically and functionally.

Keywords: Fibrosis‐4 index; bologics; interleukin‐17; interleukin‐23; psoriasis.

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References

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