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Italian CONTRIBUTI SCIENTIFICI – Scientific Papers
Volume:
Biochimica Clinica 2019; 43(3) 284-288
Pubblicato on-line:
April 16, 2019
DOI:
10.19186/BC_2019.020
Procalcitonin levels in Sjögren syndrome
AUTORI
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
2Department of Rheumatology, University of Health Sciences, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
3Department of Biochesmistry, University of Health Sciences, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
ABSTRACT
Background: procalcitonin (PCT) is a polypeptide secreted as a response a bacterial stimulus. PCT serumconcentrations are increased also in some autoimmune diseases. At the best of our knowledge, there is no study inliterature that evaluated PCT values in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS). The aim of this paper is tomeasure PCT values in pSS and to determine if these are related to the disease activity.
Methods: this is a case-control study. Two groups of subjects were included: 48 patients with pSS, who met AmericanCollege of Rheumatology 2012 Classification Criteria for Sjögren’s syndrome and 53 healthy subjects as controlgroup (without any acute or chronic disease). The subjects with possible infectious disease were excluded on thebasis of their clinical evaluation and laboratory data. Serum PCT values were measured by electrochemiluminometricmethod. PCT values have been compared between the groups; the correlation between disease activity, measuredby Sjögren’s syndrome disease activity index (SSDAI) and PCT levels was evaluated.
Results: PCT values in pSS group were within the reference range, but significantly higher than those measured inthe control group [median (interquartile range) values were 0.036 ng/mL (0.031-0.044) and 0.020 ng/mL (0.020-0.020) respectively], (p<0.001). No correlation was found between disease activity and PCT values (p=0.63).
Conclusions: on the basis of the presented results, PCT could be a candidate marker for differentiating diseaseactivity from the presence of an infection in pSS patients. Future studies in pSS patients with infectious diseasescould possibly demonstrate the role of PCT in this context.