Background: Endocan is a novel human endothelial cell-specific molecule. The central role of leukocytes and endothelial dysfunction in the development of Behçet disease (BD) led us to hypothesize that endocan might be a marker of this disease.
Objective: We investigated the relationship between serum levels of endocan and disease activity in patients with BD.
Methods: In all, 33 patients (16 active, 17 inactive) with BD and 35 healthy persons were included in the study. Endocan and C-reactive protein were measured in all subjects.
Results: Patients with BD had significantly higher serum endocan levels. Mean serum levels of endocan were 1.29 ± 0.60 ng/mL (range: 0.58-2.99) in patients with BD and 0.75 ± 0.16 ng/mL (range: 0.48-1.21) in control subjects (P < .001). In patients with BD, serum endocan levels correlated moderately but significantly with C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and disease activity. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested that the optimum endocan level cut-off point for patients with BD was 0.87 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 75.8% and 80%, respectively (area under curve 0.835, 95% confidence interval 0.738-0.932).
Limitations: The main limitation of our study is the relatively small sample size.
Conclusions: Circulating endocan may be a marker of BD activity.
Keywords: AUC; BD; Behçet disease; C-reactive protein; CRP; ESM; ESR; ICAM; LFA; ROC; VEGF; area under curve; endocan; endothelial cell–specific molecule; endothelium; erythrocyte sedimentation rate; inflammation; intercellular adhesion molecule; leukocyte function-associated antigen; receiver operating characteristic; vascular endothelial growth factor.
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