title: The serum angiotensin converting enzyme and lysozyme levels in patients with ocular involvement of autoimmune and infectious diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased serum levels of angiotensin converting enzyme and lysozyme are considered as inflammatory markers for diagnosis of sarcoidosis which is an autoimmune inflammatory disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the significance of differences in serum angiotensin converting enzyme and lysozyme levels of patients with ocular involvement of other autoimmune inflammatory and infectious diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective study involving patients with ankylosing spondylitis, behcet's disease, presumed sarcoidosis, presumed latent tuberculosis, presumed latent syphilis, and control group. The serum levels of angiotensin converting enzyme and lysozyme were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Bonnferoni analysis was used to assess pairwise comparisons between the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant increase in serum angiotensin converting enzyme level in patients with presumed sarcoidosis compared to ankylosing spondylitis (p = 0.0001), behcet's disease (p = 0.0001), presumed latent tuberculosis (p = 0.0001), presumed latent syphilis (p = 0.0001), and control group (p = 0.0001). The increase in serum lysozyme level was significant for patients with presumed sarcoidosis with respect to ankylosing spondylitis (p = 0.0001), behcet's disease, (p = 0.0001) presumed latent tuberculosis (p = 0.001), presumed latent syphilis (p = 0.033), and control group (p = 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated serum angiotensin converting enzyme levels are significant for patients with presumed sarcoidosis compared to ocular involvement of other autoimmune diseases such as behcet's disease and ankylosing spondylitis, and ocular involvement of infectious diseases such as presumed latent tuberculosis and presumed latent syphilis. However, elevated serum lysozyme level might be also detected in ocular involvement of infectious diseases such as presumed latent tuberculosis and presumed latent syphilis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT02627209. Date of registration: 12/09/2015.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology/Uveitis, Dunya Goz Hospital Ltd., Ankara, Turkey. ozlem1158@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. aziaei@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ziaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Hacettepe University Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey. edaozturk1982@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Eda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karaismailoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Middle East Technical University, Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey. taheri@metu.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Nusret
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taheri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000201:enzymology; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology*; D002648:Child; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000201:enzymology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055985:Latent Tuberculosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009113:Muramidase / Q000097:blood*; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000201:enzymology*; D013587:Syphilis / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D009113:Muramidase; C488034:ACE protein, human; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A