The Importance of Soluble Adhesion Molecules and Their Relation to Cardiovascular Events in Rheumatic Diseases

The Importance of Soluble Adhesion Molecules and Their Relation to Cardiovascular Events in Rheumatic Diseases

Alma Cypienė, Nijolė Gerčiukaitė, Sigita Aidietienė, Sigita Stropuvienė, Rita Rugienė, Dalia Miltinienė, Jolanta Dadonienė, Aleksandras Laucevičius

Background. Inflammation appears to be an important pathogenic pathway to atherosclerotic plague formation and in­flammatory mediators may be partially responsible for this process. For patients with rheumatic diseases it may cause the cardiovascular events.

Aim. The aim of this study was to as­sess the levels of adhesive molecules, in particular soluble intercellular adhesion molecule - 1 (sICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule - 1 (sVCAM-1) for rheumatic patients and to compare them between the subgroups that experienced and not experienced the cardiovascular events.

Material and methods. We exam­ined 185 patients who were referred for consultation to Rheumatological Center of Santariskiu Clinic, in particular, 65 pa­tients suffering with systemic lupus erythematosus, 75 - with rheumatoid ar­thritis and 45 with systemic sclerosis. The adhesion molecules were measures in se­rum using ELISA technique. The concen­trations were also compared beween pa­tients with and without cardiovascular events.

Results. Rheumatoid arthritis pa­tients demonstrated the highest level of slCAM concentration if compared to pa­tients from other groups although the con­centration did not went above the normal limits. sVCAM-1 concentration was evi­dently higher for patients with systemic sclerosis. In addition, the higher concentra­tion of sVCAM-1 was related to worth prognosis in terms of possible cardiovas­cular events in systemic sclerosis pa­tients group. We do think this is the main and the most important finding of our study since there were only 5 patients with cardiovascular events who did expe­rienced the cardiovascular event earlier in their live. sICAM concentration were not related to bad prognosis in either dis­ease and the concentrations we measured did not went above the normal limits.

Conclusions. We state that the im­portance of vascular cell adhesion molekule-1 (sVCAM-1) is more promi­nent in rheumatic diseases than of solu­ble intercellular adhesion molekule-1 (sICAM) because of elevated concentra­tions we found. In addition sVCAM-1 are also important in terms of prognosis and risk for cardiovascular events for sys­temic sclerosis patients and what is not to be said about other two groups of pa­tients.

Keywords: rheumatic diseases, adhe­sion molecules, cardiovascular events.