title: Clinical significance of serum hyaluronan levels in systemic sclerosis: association with disease severity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine any clinical association of serum levels of hyaluronan in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
  
  
  METHODS
  Hyaluronan levels in serum samples from patients with SSc (n = 66) and hyaluronan expression in skin were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum hyaluronan levels in SSc patients were higher than those in healthy controls. SSc patients with elevated hyaluronan levels had more frequent involvement of several clinical manifestations and immunological abnormalities compared to those with normal levels. Thus, hyaluronan levels correlated with disease severity. Hyaluronan expression in the sclerotic skin from SSc patients was more intense, relative to expression in normal skin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that elevated serum hyaluronan levels are associated with disease severity and immunological abnormalities in patients with SSc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshizaki
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komura
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Fumihide
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muroi
authors.forename: Motoi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid