title: Endocan Levels and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
abstract: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. A major cause of morbidity and mortality in SLE is accelerated atherosclerosis. Endothelial-specific molecule 1 (endocan) is a potential predictor of vascular events and is expressed in response to inflammatory cytokines in endothelial cells. We investigated the relationship between endocan and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) as a marker of early atherosclerosis. We included 44 women with SLE and 44 healthy women as controls. Disease severity of SLE was evaluated using the SLE Disease Activity Index. Endocan, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and lipid panel were measured. The cIMT was 0.70 (range: 0.45-1.20) mm in patients with SLE and 0.40 (0.25-0.60) mm in controls (P < .001). Endocan value was 1.6 ± 0.9 ng/mL in controls and 2.2 ± 1.0 ng/mL in patients with SLE (P = .014). Endocan levels were positively correlated with cIMT (r = .469, P < .001), body mass index (r = .373, P = .013), and ESR (r = .393, P = .008). Endocan level may be associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE. Consequently, endocan levels may be a promising clinical tool for patients with SLE as a guide for preventive strategy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Icli
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erkan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cure
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey.
authors.forename: Medine Cumhur
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cure
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Eskisehir Military Hospital, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Ugur
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Uslu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey drsevketb@gmail.com sevketb@gata.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Sevket
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balta
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, University College London Medical School London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Dimitri P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Mikhailidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gulhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevket
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Davut
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sakız
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Patnos State Hospital, Agri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Adem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kucuk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C101134:ESM1 protein, human; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011509:Proteoglycans
keywords: atherosclerosis; endocan; inflammation; systemic lupus erythematosus