Circulating intercellular adhesion molecule 1 as a new activity marker in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

To determine the value of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) as a measure of disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 25 patients with SLE were studied in an active and in a less active state. Disease activity was assessed according to the New York Hospital for Special Surgery System (NYHSS) score. The levels of sICAM-1 were significantly higher in an active than in a less active state of the disease (P < 0.001). The correlation between ICAM and the NYHSS score was r = 0.3412 (P < 0.001) and that between NYHSS index and soluble interleukin-2 receptors (sIL-2R) was r = 0.6620 (P < 0.001). There was a good correlation between levels of sICAM-1 and sIL-2R (r = 0.6792, P < 0.001). Both sICAM-1 and sIL-2R were positively and significantly correlated with an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, but only sIL-2R levels were significantly correlated with increased dsDNA antibodies and with a decrease in serum complement factor C3. Our data suggest that sICAM-1 reflects disease activity in patients with SLE, but this parameter per se should not be used to guide the therapeutic decision in SLE patients suspected of suffering from exacerbation of disease.