[New markers of collagen and basal membrane metabolism and kidney involvement in systemic scleroderma]

The study was made within the framework of the Soviet-Finnish cooperation and represents a fragment of work pertaining to the clinical trials of new markers of metabolism of collagen and basal membranes in patients afflicted with systemic scleroderma (SSD). Sufficient clinical material (84 SSD patients) and radioimmunoassays were employed to study the clinical significance of aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen. In SSD patients with renal impairment (n = 34) and without it, PIIINP and PIIINP-Fab, serum galactosyl hydroxylysylglucosyltransferase and two antigens of basal membranes-7S-domene of type IV collagen and PI-fragment of laminine were determined. Renal impairment was established to correlate with serum concentration of PIIINP-Fab (p less than 0.007). PI-fragment of laminine. The parameters under study correlated as well with the disease course, the presence of arthritis and the Raynaud's syndrome gravity and can be regarded as markers of the disease activity and high fibrous formation lying at the basis of SSD.