FUNDA ERDURAN, FUNDA EREN, YILDIZ HAYRAN, ESRA FIRAT OĞUZ, AYŞEGÜL YALÇINKAYA İYİDAL, ÖZCAN EREL
Journal of the Turkish Academy of Dermatology - 2023;17(1):22-26
Background: Onychomycosis is the most common nail infection in the world. The most common causative agents are dermatophytes; however, the disease may appear due to non-dermatophytic molds and yeasts. Ceruloplasmin also takes part in defense mechanisms against oxidative stress. Ceruloplasmin is considered to be associated with approximately 80% of oxidative events in the plasma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate ceruloplasmin level in onychomycosis and to review the association with the parameters of the disease. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective cross-sectional study and included 112 healthy volunteers and 102 patients followed up with the diagnosis of onychomycosis in the dermatology clinic of Ankara City Hospital between October 2021 and March 2022. Results: The patients and control group were similar in terms of age and gender. The mean serum ceruloplasmin level in patients (866.6 U/L) was significantly higher than the control group (800.6 U/L) (p=0.025). A positive correlation was detected between the duration of the disease and ceruloplasmin levels. Serum ceruloplasmin levels were higher in patients with longer disease duration (p=0.002, r=0.31). The disease severity of the patients enrolled in the study was scored according to the onychomycosis severity index. Similarly, ceruloplasmin levels were correlated with disease severity (p<0.001, r=0.43). Conclusion: Consequently, we believe that higher ceruloplasmin levels in the patients may indicate oxidative stress on tinea unguium. Ceruloplasmin may be a potential marker of disease severity and activity in onychomycosis.
