Clinical significance of serum hyaluronan levels in systemic sclerosis: association with disease severity.
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.
Yoshizaki
Ayumi
A
Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
Iwata
Yohei
Y
Komura
Kazuhiro
K
Hara
Toshihide
T
Ogawa
Fumihide
F
Muroi
Eiji
E
Takenaka
Motoi
M
Shimizu
Kazuhiro
K
Hasegawa
Minoru
M
Fujimoto
Manabu
M
Sato
Shinichi
S
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
D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid