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Serum thrombomodulin. A novel marker of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus
M W Boehme1, P P Nawroth, E Kling
1Department of Internal Medicine IV, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Objective:
Soluble thrombomodulin (sTM), a proposed serum marker of endothelial cell injury, was investigated as a parameter of disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Methods:
Levels of sTM were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Disease activity was assessed using 3 established scoring systems: the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the New York Hospital for Special Surgery (NYHSS), and the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM) systems.
Results:
A close correlation was found between sTM levels and disease activity as assessed with all 3 scoring systems: r = 0.52 by the ACR, 0.75 by the NYHSS, and 0.82 by the SLAM.
Conclusion:
We found that sTM is a sensitive serologic marker of organ involvement in patients with SLE. Furthermore, sTM may prove to be an important marker for vasculitis in general.