Investigators have found that skin sodium may be predictive of disease severity among patients with conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and multiple and systemic sclerosis, according to a press release from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). In a new literature review—published by Chattopadhyay et al in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology—the investigators expanded on traditional views of sodium homeostasis focusing on blood pressure and the kidneys to describe the role of skin sodium in association with total body sodium. The investigators found that the concentration of skin sodium was increased in patients with cardiometabolic, autoimmune, and dermatologic conditions. Further, they noted that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, with the ability to capture images of water and fat, may be capable of capturing images using sodium in the body. The hope the noninvasive scans can soon replace invasive procedures like skin biopsies and provide insights into the link between skin sodium and disease severity. “With the advent of new noninvasive [MRI] measurement techniques and continued research on skin sodium, it may emerge as a marker of immune-mediated disease activity or a potential therapeutic target,” concluded lead study author Aheli Chattopadhyay, BSc, an MD candidate in the Department of Dermatology at the UCSF School of Medicine.
July 19, 2023