Relationship between endothelial cell markers and arterial stenosis in peripheral and carotid artery disease

Damage to the endothelium is an important component of atherosclerosis and can be quantified by measuring plasma markers, such as von Willebrand facto r, thrombomodulin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and E-selectin. We hy pothesized that increased levels of these markers would be related to objec tively defined disease severity among patients with peripheral atherosclero sis or carotid atherosclerosis. To test this, we measured the markers by us ing ELISA in the plasma of 45 patients with intermittent claudication alone and in 53 patients presenting with transient ischemic attack. Disease seve rity in the former was by ankle-brachial pressure index and in the latter b y ultrasound defined % stenosis. Any symptomatic dual disease or history or present coronary atherosclerosis warranted exclusion. Data were correlated according to Spearman's method. The only significant correlation was betwe en von Willebrand factor and ankle-brachial pressure index (r = -0.39, p = 0.008). Our data suggest that von Willebrand factor is the most sensitive m arker of peripheral atherosclerosis and that none of the plasma markers see ms to be a useful marker of the degree of carotid artery stenosis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.