The Level And Significance Of Serum CXCL4 Inpatients With Systemic Sclerosis

Objective:To measure the serum levels of CXCL4 in SSc patients and analyze the correlation between serum levels of CXCL4 with clinical features.Methods:Serum CXCL4 levels were determined by ELISA in 30 patients with SSc and 20 healthy controls, correlation of serum CXCL4 levels with the clinical characteristics was assessed.Results:1. Serum CXCL4 levels were significantly higher in patients with SSc than in controls (13309.4±2993.3 vs 7420.3±2042.7 pg/ml,P=0.000).The serum CXCL4 levels in SSc-ILD group is higher than the non-ILD group;there is no statistic difference between dcSSc group and lcSSc group (12922.5±3293.1 vs 14083.2±2231.3pg/ml,P=0.293)2.The proportion of SSc-ILD in CXCL4 elected group is higher than normal group (P=0.046).AS for the other clinical characteristics such as age,gender,disease duration,MRSS score,there is no difference between the two groups.3.The serum CXCL4 levels in SSc-ILD groups is higher than in non-ILD groups.There is no associations of CXCL4 levels with organ involvement such as digital ulcer,muscle involvement and PAH.4.Serum CXCL4 levels significantly correlated with HRCT scores (r=0.647,P=0.002) and total skin score (r=0.367, P=0.046);there is no correlation between CXCL4 levels and ESR、CRP、Medsger scores and HAQ scores.5. Change in serum levels of CXCL4 during the treatment:Four SSc patient achieved CTX and prednisone treatment for the first time, the level of CXCL4 and the HRCT scores were decreased in 6 mouthes later.Conclusion:1. Levels of CXCL4 were elevated in patients with systemic sclerosis and correlated with skin MRSS scores and pulmonary HRCT scores.2. There is no correlation between CXCL4 levels and other clinical characteristics such as disease activity and disease Severity.3. The elected level of CXCL4 in SSc patients may be related to skin sclerosis and ILD.