ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to find out the role of thrombomodulin as a mediator of damage to endothelial cells in systemic sclerosis patients. This study was carried out on 20 systemic sclerosis patients who used to attend the Outpatient Clinic of the Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department of Ain Shams University Hospitals. All patients fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for diagnosis of systemic sclerosis. Ten age and sex matched healthy controls were also included. Determination of serum thrombomodulin [TM] level was done for both patients and controls using sCD141 thrombomodulin kit, which is a solid phase sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbant assay [ELISA]. Serum TM was higher in the patients group than in the control group with a highly significant difference [t=6.75, p<0.001]. There was also, a significant difference between the level of serum TM in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon, digital ulcers and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis as compared to those without these clinical manifestations [t=0.034, 0.013, 0.25 respectively, p<0.05]. There was a significant positive correlation between serum TM level and the duration of illness, Raynaud's phenomenon, digital ulcers and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis [r=0.69, 0.48, 0.58, 0.49 respectively, p<0.05]. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between serum TM level and ESR and serum urea [r=0.72, 0.61 respectively, p<0.05]. We can conclude that the serum level of TM was higher in our patients and this may reflect its pathogenetic role [through endothelial cell damage] in systemic sclerosis