Low levels of activated factor VII in systemic sclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Recent investigations show that activated factor VII, the primary enzyme in the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation, exerts additional extra-coagulant functions, such as apoptosis and angiogenesis. On the basis of these recent acquisitions, the present study was aimed to evaluate activated factor VII in patients with systemic sclerosis and to establish a potential association with pathogenesis and complications of this severe autoimmune disorder.


METHODS
Activated factor VII level was measured in twenty-eight consecutive scleroderma patients (2 men and 26 women, mean age 49.7 +/- 14.8 years). The main clinical correlates of disease, such as disease activity, renal function, skin, vascular and lung involvement, were evaluated by clinical and instrumental investigations. Activated factor VII level was also evaluated in 28 sex and age matched controls.


RESULTS
Systemic sclerosis patients exhibited plasma activated factor VII activities significantly lower than those of healthy matched controls (15.2 versus 37.7 U/l, respectively; p < 0.001). No correlation was observed between plasma activated factor VII concentration and age, disease duration, disease subset, disease activity, renal, lung, skin and microvascular involvement.


CONCLUSIONS
Results of our investigation provide first evidence of low activated factor VII activity in patients with systemic sclerosis. Reduced activated factor VII activity might be involved in the pathogenesis of the ischemic complications, by modulating apoptotic and angiogenetic processes.
Volpe
Alessandro
A
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy.
Salvagno
Gian Luca
GL
Lippi
Giuseppe
G
Caramaschi
Paola
P
Montagnana
Martina
M
Canestrini
Sabrina
S
Carletto
Antonio
A
Bambara
Lisa Maria
LM
Biasi
Domenico
D
Guidi
Gian Cesare
GC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015942:Factor VIIa / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D015942:Factor VIIa