ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical significance of plasma D-dimer levels in dermatomyositis(DM). METHODS: The correlations between D-dimer level and important clinical indicators of DM patients were analyzed by assessing the plasma D-dimer level in 46 patients with DM(among which 17 cases were amyopathic dermatomyositis)and 22 cases of PM. The clinical significance of D-dimer level in DM patients with interstitial lung disease(ILD)was also analyzed. RESULTS: The D-dimer level(1.18±1.17μg/L)in DM group was significantly higher than that(0.61±0.43μg/L)in PM group(P=0.03).In DM group, D-dimer level was positively correlated with lactate dehydrogenase(R=0.402,P=0.01),erythrocyte sedimentation rate(R=0.337,P=0.03)and C-reactive protein level(R=0.404,P=0.01).Our results also showed that the D-D level in DM group was negatively correlated with peripheral blood lymphocyte count(R=-0.392,P=0.01), peripheral blood CD3+T(R=-0.360,P=0.03)and CD3+CD8+Tlymphocyte count(R=-0.342,P=0.04).There was no significant difference in D-dimer levels between patients with ILD and those without ILD. Conclution Increased plasma of D-D may be an important indicator of disease activity in DM.