title: Serum chemokine levels as prognostic markers in patients with early systemic sclerosis: a multicenter, prospective, observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the utility of serum chemokine levels as a prognostic indicator of disease progression in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with early onset disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy Japanese patients with early onset SSc presenting with diffuse skin sclerosis and/or interstitial lung disease were registered in a multicenter, observational study. Concentrations of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and CXCL10 in serum samples from all patients were measured using cytometric beads array. In 33 patients, chemokine levels were measured each year for 4 years. The ability of baseline chemokine levels to predict changes in clinical features were evaluated statistically by multiple regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At their first visit, serum levels of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and CXCL10 were significantly elevated in patients with SSc compared with healthy controls. There were significant associations between CCL2 and CXCL8 levels and between CXCL9 and CXCL10 levels in patients. The initial serum CXCL8 levels were significantly associated with the HAQ-DI at the fourth year while the %VC of baseline tended to be negatively associated with HAQ-DI at the fourth year. Initial chemokine levels were not associated with other clinical features including skin thickness score and the respiratory function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum CXCL8 level may serve as a prognostic indicator of the physical dysfunction in SSc. Further longitudinal studies of larger populations are needed to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-8641, Japan, minoruha@derma.m.kanazawa-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Yoshihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Hirahito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Hironobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ihn
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuwana
authors.forename: Fumihide
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Sumiaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takehara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines