Study of some salivary changes in cutaneous psoriatic patients

OBJECTIVE: To assess any alteration in the levels of some salivary components, and to correlate the same with the severity of the disease.

METHODS: Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected and analyzed in 20 randomly selected Syrian uncomplicated psoriatic patients presenting to the Dermatological Diseases Hospital, Damascus University, Syria between February and June 2010, and in 20 healthy matched controls. Sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride (Cl-), and alpha amylase (sAA) was analyzed. The salivary flow rates (SFR) and pH was also studied. The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index was used to assess the severity of the disease. Student t-test and correlation coefficients (r) were used to compare differences between groups.

RESULTS: The SFR and pH were normal in both groups. Psoriatics had significantly higher K+ and sAA concentrations (K+ mean = 21.38mmol/L, sAA mean = 64.26 IU/ml) than the controls (K+ mean = 17.69mmol/L, sAA mean = 43.14 IU/ml), whereas there was no significant rise in the other salivary ions studied. Neither the severity nor the duration of the disease showed correlation to the according variables. No differences were observed between the age and the gender for each of the studied variables.

CONCLUSION: Psoriasis patients have higher concentration rates of salivary potassium ions and sAA compared with the controls. However, these salivary changes are not related to the severity or the duration of this dermatological disease. Further studies are required to support these results.