Background and objectives: In psoriatic patients, stress is the most common aggravating factor. Despite the use of quality-of-life assessment questionnaires, diagnosing stress in psoriatic patients is not a flawless procedure. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of potential stress biomarkers in saliva for monitoring the treatment of psoriasis. Materials and methods: A total of 104 adult patients with severe psoriasis were included and randomly treated via biological treatment or symptomatic therapy: 84 received biological treatment, with 20 formed a control group receiving symptomatic therapy. The administered biological treatment was adalimumab, whilst in controls calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate topical gel and emollients were used. Patients were monitored monthly with a dermatological examination and the dispensing of a biological drug. During each of the four visits, the severity of the disease was assessed (PASI, BSA, and DLQI), and a sample of the patient's saliva was taken. In all the participants, the saliva concentrations of immunoglobulin A (sIgA), α-amylase (sAA), and chromogranin A (CgA) were measured. Results: The majority of patients in both the study and control groups achieved clinical improvement, though favoring the group receiving biological treatment. The concentration of sIgA in the saliva was constantly increasing in the study group during subsequent visits (Fr = 27.26; p < 0.001). Meanwhile, there were no statistically significant changes in the control group during the same follow-up period (Fr = 6.66; p = 0.084). Levels of sAA underwent statistically significant changes in both groups (Fr = 58.02; p < 0.001-study group and Fr = 13.74; p = 0.003-control group). In the study group, a steady, statistically significant increase in sAA was observed from the first to the third visit. In the study group, a downward trend in CgA concentration was observed. In the control group, no significant differences in the level of CgA were obtained. Conclusions: sIgA, sAA, and CgA are potential markers of the severity of psoriasis and the associated stress reaction. Based on the presented observations, only sIgA and CgA seem to be valuable biomarkers for monitoring the effectiveness of the systemic treatment of psoriasis.
Keywords: psoriasis; psychodermatology; saliva; stress.