Skin Sodium Accumulates in Psoriasis and Reflects Disease Severity

2020

Sodium can accumulate in the skin at concentrations exceeding serum levels. A high sodium environment can lead to pathogenic T helper 17 cell expansion. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which IL-17. producing T helper 17 cells play a crucial role. In an observational study, we measured skin sodium content in patients with psoriasis and in age-matched healthy controls by Sodium-23 magnetic resonance imaging. Patients with PASI > 5 showed significantly higher sodium and water content in the skin but not in other tissues than those with lower PASI or healthy controls. Skin sodium concentrations measured by Sodium-23 spectroscopy or by atomic absorption spectrometry in ashed-…