Connective tissue activation XIX. Plasma levels of the CTAP-III platelet antigen in rheumatoid arthritis.
Plasma levels of platelet granule proteins CTAP-III and beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG) were measured by radioimmunoassay of their common antigen (CTAP-Ag). Healthy adults had 29.4 +r5.8 ng CTAP-Ag/ml plasma while patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had higher levels of the CTAP-Ag (range 23-260 ng/ml, median 43 ng/ml, p less than .006). RA patients with CTAP-Ag levels greater than 50 ng/ml (mean 104.8 ng/ml) were compared to patients having lower CTAP-Ag levels. Patients in the group with elevated plasma CTAP-Ag levels had higher sedimentation rates (p less than .005), and higher platelet counts (p less than .05). Anemia was more common in patients with abnormal CTAP-Ag levels.
D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000276:immunology*; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013997:Time Factors
D000941:Antigens; D010455:Peptides; C009862:connective tissue-activating peptide