title: Serum levels of BAFF for assessing the disease activity of Takayasu arteritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic vasculitis that affects large elastic arteries. Monitoring of disease activity is crucial because the disease may progress despite treatment with glucocorticoids. Elevated levels of B cell activating factor belonging to TNF family (BAFF) have been observed in patients with autoimmune diseases. In this study, we investigated whether dysregulation of BAFF occurs in TA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum levels of BAFF were measured in sera from 9 patients with TA including 6 patients with follow up after induction therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Circulating BAFF levels in TA patients were higher than in those in healthy subjects. The high levels of BAFF in active TA patients were decreased when the patients entered remission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first study to show elevated levels of BAFF in active TA patients. These findings suggest that this cytokine contributes to vasculitis in TA and raise the possibility that monitoring of serum BAFF might aid clinicians in making adequate treatment adjustments in TA patients.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center and Department of Rheumatology, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center Kubara, Omura, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishino
authors.forename: Mami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamai
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Makiyama
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiuchi
authors.forename: Taichiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: Yasumori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Izumi
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Migita
mesh_terms: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D015415:Biomarkers; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human