title: Hepatocyte growth factor and digital clubbing.
abstract: The cause of digital clubbing is unknown. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleotrophic factor which has various biological effects. We measured serum HGF in 12 patients with digital clubbing; the underlying diseases of these patients were: lung cancer, 2; cystic fibrosis, 2; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, 3; lung cancer with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, 1; chronic hepatitis, 1; interstitial pneumonia with collagen disease, 2; and bronchiectasis, 1; nine hundred and fifty-seven normal volunteers and 17 lung cancer patients without clubbing served as the control. As a result, the serum HGF concentration in patients with digital clubbing (0.47 +/- 0.29 ng/ml) was significantly higher when compared to that of lung cancer patients without digital clubbing (0.15 +/- 0.04, p < 0.01). Therefore, we suggest that HGF may play a role in the formation of digital clubbing.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Kagawa Medical University.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hojo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yamadori
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ezaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamanouchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyawaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaji
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takahara
mesh_terms: D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010005:Osteoarthropathy, Secondary Hypertrophic / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor