Circulating concentrations of soluble L-selectin (CD62L) in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome

Objective-Serum concentrations of soluble (s) L-selectin (CD62L) were measu red in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS) to relate these concen trations to clinical and immunological features of SS. Methods-The study included 30 consecutive patients (38 women and two men) w ith a mean age of 61 years (range 24-78) who fulfilled four or more of the preliminary diagnostic criteria for SS proposed by the European Community S tudy Group in 1993, and 33 healthy blood donors from the hospital blood ban k. A sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the soluble form of human sL-selectin (CD62L). Results-The mean (SEM) values of sL-selectin (CD62L) were 861 (66) mu g/ml for patients with SS and 986 (180) mu g/ml for healthy blood donors, but th ere was no significant difference. In patients with primary SS, serum sL-se lectin (CD62L) concentrations were significantly higher in patients with Ra ynaud's phenomenon (1275 (112) mu g/ml versus 789 (69) mu g/ml, p=0.007), a utoimmune thyroiditis (1162 (113) mu g/ml versus 787 (69) mu g/ml, p=0.02) and rheumatoid factor (993 (95) mu g/ml versus 684 (70) mu g/ml, p=0.01) wh en compared with patients without these features. Conclusion-The presence of Raynaud's phenomenon, autoimmune thyroiditis and rheumatoid factor is associated with higher concentrations of circulating sL-selectin (CD62L) in the sera of patients with primary SS.