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Elevated serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in patients with systemic sclerosis: association with pulmonary
M Hasegawa1, M Fujimoto, K Kikuchi
1Department of Dermatology, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Japan.
Objective:
To determine whether serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels are elevated, and whether they correlate with clinical features in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
Methods:
Serum samples from patients with limited cutaneous SSc (ISSc) (n = 51), diffuse cutaneous SSc (dSSc) (n = 30), and control subjects (n = 30) were examined by ELISA.
Results:
Serum TNF-alpha levels were elevated in patients with ISSc and dSSc and correlated with the presence of pulmonary fibrosis and with the decreased vital capacity of the patients.
Conclusion:
Serum TNF-alpha may be one of the cytokines that contribute to the disease process, especially to pulmonary fibrosis in patients with SSc.