Interleukin-13 in systemic sclerosis: relationship to nailfold capillaroscopy abnormalities

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• 作者：V. Riccieri ; T. Rinaldi ; A. Spadaro ; R. Scrivo ; F. Ceccarelli ; M. Di Franco ; E. Taccari and G. Valesini
• 关键词：Keywords  ; Interleukin ; 13 ; Nailfold capillaroscopy ; Systemic sclerosis
• 刊名：Clinical Rheumatology
• 出版年：2003
• 出版时间：May 2003
• 年：2003
• 卷：22
• 期：2
• 页码：102-106
• 全文大小：227 KB
• 刊物类别：Medicine
• 刊物主题：Medicine & Public Health
  Rheumatology
  
• 出版者：Springer London
• ISSN：1434-9949

文摘

 The aim of this study was to investigate whether interleukin-13 (IL-13) serum levels correlate to different nailfold capillaroscopy (NC) findings in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). IL-13 serum levels were measured using an ELISA method. The following NC abnormalities were considered: the presence of giant loops, haemorrhages, loss of capillaries, disorganisation of the vascular array, ramified/bushy capillaries and sludging of blood. A semiquantitative rating scale was adopted to score these changes, as well as a rating system for avascular areas and three morphological NC patterns (`early', `active' and `late'). Mean capillary density was determined by counting the total number of capillaries in a 1 mm length, and the arterial and venous diameters of the capillary as well as the total loop diameter were measured. In SSc patients IL-13 serum levels were significantly higher than in controls (P < 00.1), whereas in patients with (n=8) and without (n=24) abnormal IL-13 serum levels (>17 pg/ml) the comparison of the NC features showed significantly relevant differences concerning a more frequent `active' NC pattern (P < 0.02), the presence of haemorrhages (P < 0.0037) and sludging of blood (P < 0.038), as well as larger total loop (P < 0.036) and arterial (P < 0.03) diameters, in those patients with elevated IL-13 serum levels. The study confirmed that IL-13 serum levels are higher in the sera of patients with SSc, and shows for the first time the significant correlations between this serological finding and some of the main relevant SSc capillaroscopic features, leading us to believe that this cytokine not only seems to sustain the immunological and fibrotic process of SSc, but might have a role in determining the more severe microvascular lesions in this disease.