Higher Serum Ceruloplasmin Levels May Indicate the Role of Oxidative Stress in Onychomycosis

The study investigated the connection between oxidative stress and onychomycosis by measuring serum ceruloplasmin levels in 102 patients with the condition and 112 healthy volunteers. It found that patients with onychomycosis had significantly higher mean serum ceruloplasmin levels (866.6 U/L) compared to the control group (800.6 U/L), and these levels were positively correlated with both the duration (p=0.002, r=0.31) and severity (p<0.001, r=0.43) of the disease. The findings suggest that ceruloplasmin could serve as a potential marker for the severity and activity of onychomycosis. However, the study's limitations include its small sample size and single-center design, and the authors recommend further research with larger samples and additional biomarkers to validate these results. No conflicts of interest or financial support were reported for the study.