ABSTRACT

Objective: Chronic urticaria is a systemic inflammatory disease. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic immunological disease that is characterized by an increase in systemic inflammatory response. In several studies, chronic urticaria and atopic dermatitis were reported to be associated metabolic syndrome (MetS). In this study, we aimed to investigate the serum ghrelin levels in the patients with chronic urticaria and atopic dermatitis.

Methods: Thirty patients with chronic urticaria, 30 patients with atopic dermatitis and 30 control subjects participated in this study. Blood fasting glucose and serum lipids, insulin, C-peptide levels and thyroid function tests were measured. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was used to calculate insulin resistance. Ghrelin levels were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) according to the manufacturer’s protocol.

Results: The mean serum ghrelin levels in the patients with chronic urticaria (54.13 ± 40.94 pg/mL) and atopic dermatitis (65.33 ± 93.54 pg/mL) were significantly higher than those of the controls (30.36 ± 17.13 pg/mL) (p = 0.003, p = 0.04, respectively).

Conclusion: We detected higher serum ghrelin levels in the patients with chronic urticaria and atopic dermatitis than the controls. However, we failed to find any association between serum ghrelin levels and insulin resistance or MetS. We think that the high levels of serum ghrelin in the patients with chronic urticaria and atopic dermatitis may be related to the mechanisms independent of insulin resistance.