Background: Psoriasis is a common inflammatory, immune–mediated disorder, characterized by skin lesions and associated with systemic manifestations. Recent progress in the understanding of psoriasis has shown that the regulation of local and systemic cytokines plays an important role in its pathogenesis. The most often used psoriasis score is the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). A simple laboratory test from a blood sample would be an attractive, patient–independent, and observer–independent marker of disease severity.

Objective: We evaluated the association of serum levels of some pro–inflammatory cytokines in vivo and their correlation with severity of psoriasis. The serum levels of Interleukin (IL–6 & 8) levels were determined with the use of the ELISA method.

Results: Serum IL–6 and IL–8 levels of patients were significantly higher than those of controls. There was a significant correlation between serum levels of IL–6 and IL–8, and severity of the disease.

Conclusion: Psoriasis can be described as a T–cell–mediated disease, with a complex role for a variety of cytokines, which has led to the development of new immune–modulatory therapies. Our study confirms the contribution of IL–6 and IL–8 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and indicates a possible role in the active phase of the disease.