Plasma endothelin-1 concentration in primary and autoimmune raynaud’s phenomenon : correlation to severity

Abstract EN

Objectives : to study the plasma levels of ET-1 in Primary Raynaud’s phenomenon (PRP) patients and those with Autoimmune Raynaud’s Phenomenon (ARP) and to find out its correlation with disease severity.

Subjects : Fifty-two patients complaining of Raynaud’s phenomenon were included in the study.

They were subdivided into two groups.

The first one included thirty one patients suffering of Primary Raynaud’s Phenomenon (PRP group) and the other group consisted of twenty one patients suffering of Autoimmune Raynaud’s Phenomenon (ARP).

Fifteen healthy subjected were included as a control group.

Methods: All individuals were subjected to thorough history taking, physical examination and assessment of the clinical grading of vasospasm.

Nailfold Capillary Microscopy (NCM) was studied with the bifocal stereomicroscope in the patients groups.

ET-1 level was determined with direct measurement of Endothelin in human EDTA-plasma samples using the Endothelin ELISA kit.

Results : the plasma endothelin-1 concentration was highly significantly increased in the ARP group as compared to the control and PRP groups (p < 0.001, p < 0.05) respectively.

It was significantly higher in PRP group as compared to control group (p < 0.05).

Positive correlation was also present between the Endothelin concentration and Raynaud’s grading in the group of patients with Autoimmune Raynaud ’s phenomenon (ARP, n = 21) (p < 0.001, r = 0.6).

There was no significant correlation whatsoever between the Endothelin-1 concentration and disease severity in the group of patients with Primary Raynaud’s phenomenon (PRP, n = 31).

Conclusion : there are clear differences between primary and Autoimmune Raynaud’s phenomenon, most prominently in the degree of endothelial and vascular damage observed in each.

The circulating ET-1 could be a useful indicator of an important local release as a result of endothelial cell damage.