ارتباط بین سطح اندوتلین- 1 با علایم و نشانه‌های متفاوت بیماری در افراد مبتلا به اسکلرودرمی

Background: Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is a generalized connective tissue disorder of unknown origin which most notably is characterized by skin thickening and organ damage. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) antibody plays a role in skin fibrosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlation of different manifestations of SSc with ET-1 plasma levels.Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 95 patients (91 women and four men) with scleroderma in 2006. The patients had been referred to the Rheumatology Clinic of Shariati Hospital in Tehran, Iran. The demographic data and signs and symptoms were entered in a questionnaire and endothelin-1 concentrations were measured. Results: The mean age of the patients was 38±12.29 years. Diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) was diagnosed in 52 and limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) in 43 patients. Raynaud's phenomenon (91%) was the most common manifestation in the patients. The relationship between the resorption of terminal phalanges due to fibrosis with the plasma concentration of Endothelin-1 was statistically significant (p=0.001). Pitting ulcers had significant relationships with endothelin-1 concentrations too (p<0.05). No other significant relationships were found between the other manifestation of the disease and Endothelin-1 concentration. Conclusion: In this study, Reynaud's phenomenon was the most frequent sign in patients with scleroderma. Thus, it could serve as a tool for the diagnosis of scleroderma. As there were no significant relationships between the other manifestations of scleroderma with endothelin-1, a cohort study with a larger sample size is suggested.