Objective: Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a biomarker of systemic inflammation. We aimed to characterize plasma suPAR levels in SLE patients.
Methods: We measured plasma suPAR, C reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in 89 SLE patients and 29 healthy controls.
Results: suPAR and ESR values were higher in SLE than in controls, while CRP levels were comparable. ROC analysis of suPAR levels indicated a cut-off value of 5.70 ng/mL to distinguish patients with high disease activity (SLEDAI >8).
Conclusion: suPAR might be an objective marker for identifying SLE patients with active disease.