| dc.description.abstract | Considering the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in tissue remodeling and fibrosis during the development of scleroderma as well as the effect of ?-Klotho in pathogenesis of calcinosis and/or endothelial cell injury and its correlation with severity of disease, this study aimed to evaluate serum ET-1, ?-Klotho and 25(OH) vitamin D levels in patients with limited and diffuse scleroderma compared to healthy subjects. In this cross-sectional study, 60 scleroderma patients according to the ACR/EULAR 2013 criteria and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included. In patients, clinical examination was performed and Medsger severity scale was assessed. Serum ET-1, soluble ?-Klotho and 25(OH)D3 levels were measured using ELISA kits. The meanآ آ±آ SD age of patients and controls was 46.2آ آ±آ 9.6 and 47.2آ آ±آ 7.0آ years, respectively. Compared to healthy controls, serum ET-1 was significantly higher in SSc patients (pآ =آ 0.001); whilst serum ?-Klotho and 25(OH)D3 were significantly lower in patients (pآ =آ 0.001). The most common organs involved in patients were skin, lung, peripheral vascular and gastrointestinal system and the severity of involvement was mainly mild and/or moderate. There were no significant differences in serum ET-1 and ?-Klotho levels according to the severity of different organ involvement (pآ >آ 0.05). There was no significant correlation between presence or absence of calcinosis and negative or positivity of auto-antibodies with ET-1, ?-Klotho and 25(OH)D3 levels. Although our study revealed higher serum ET-1 and lower serum ?-Klotho levels in SSc patients compared to healthy controls, there were not any significant correlations between their serum levels with severity of organ involvement. | |
