title: Evaluation of vascular injury with proinflammatory cytokines, thrombomodulin and fibronectin in patients with primary fibromyalgia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cold intolerance, cold induced peripheral vasospasm, Raynaud's phenomenon, livedo reticularis and immunoglobulin deposition in the skin are often encountered clinical and laboratory findings in patients with primary fibromyalgia (FM). These findings are suggestive of vascular injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients (4 male, 76 female) with fulfilling primary FM criteria (FM (+) patient group), 60 patients (3 male, 57 female) with chronic musculoskeletal complaints but without FM (FM (-) patient control group) and 40 healthy volunteers (1 male, 39 female) without musculoskeletal complaints (healthy control group) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The study was carried out in two steps. In the first step, the clinical findings, routine laboratory tests, autoantibodies and radiological findings were investigated. The second step were consisted of the laboratory investigations of thrombomodulin and fibronectin as the mediators indicating vascular injury and proinflammatory cytokines in FM patients with Raynaud's phenomenon and/or livedo reticularis and in control groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences between study and control groups with regard to laboratory, radiological and immunological (ANA, AntidsDNA, ENA, anticardiolipin IgG and IgM) results. No statistically significant differences were found in the levels of proinflammatory cytokines between FM (+) patient group and control groups (p > 0.05). Thrombomodulin was also shown statistically insignificant difference between FM (+) patient group and control groups (p > 0.05). However, fibronectin, another mediator of vascular injury, was higher in FM (+) patient group and the differences between FM (+) patients and each control groups were statistically significant (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results were suggestive of the presence of a non-immunological vascular injury in FM patients with Raynaud's phenomenon and/or livedo reticularis.
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Rheumatology, Ankara, Turkey. spay@gata.edu.tr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pay
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calgüneri
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Calişkaner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dinç
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Apraş
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ertenli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kiraz
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cobankara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000293:injuries*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000209:etiology; D017445:Skin Diseases, Vascular / Q000209:etiology; D018180:Thrombomodulin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D005353:Fibronectins; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D018180:Thrombomodulin