RESUMO
The aim of this study is to determine the level of circulating soluble interleuktn-2Ralpha in the sera of patient with systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] and to correlate the level of expression of these receptors with SLE disease activity. The study included fifty five SLE patients and twenty healthy volunteers as controls. The following investigations were done: Serum anti-nuclear antibodies [ANA], anti-double stranded deoxynucleic acid [ds-DNA], serum complement components [C3,C4], ESR, compete blood count, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, 24 hour urine proteins, urinalysis and serum soluble interleukin-2Ra level. Renal biopsy was performed and examined with light microscopy for patients with lupus nephritis. The results were analyzed in relation to the clinical activity scores [systemic lupus activity measures [SLAM]]. The study showed that levels of soluble interleukin-2Ralpha [sIL-2Ralpha] were significantly higher in the total group of SLE patients compared to controls. Dividing our patients into two groups according to the presence or absence of Lupus nephritis [LN], 35 patients were found to have laboratory and pathologic evidence of LN. Serum sIL-2Ralpha levels were significantly higher in patients with nephritis than those without nephritis. There were strong positive correlation between sIL-2Ralpha levels and SLAM score, histological activity index, ESR and 24hr urine proteins, on the other arm strong inverse correlation with C3 and packed cell volume was observed. It can be concluded that serum sIL-2Ralpha is a reliable marker of disease activity in patients with SLE and could be used as an indicator of early renal involvement with the possibility of using it for follow up