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Elevated adipsin linked with pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis
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Among patients with systemic sclerosis, elevated levels of adipsin were linked with pulmonary arterial hypertension, according to a recently published analysis.
“Taken together, these findings suggest a previously unrecognized pathogenic role for adipsin in [systemic sclerosis] SSc and SSc [pulmonary arterial hypertension] PAH, and highlight adipsin as a novel marker of vascular manifestations with important prognostic and potentially therapeutic value,” Benjamin D. Korman, MD, from Northwestern University, and colleagues wrote. “Moreover, in light of the essential role of adipsin in modulating complement pathway activity, our results implicate the complement system in SSc-associated PAH.”
Researchers assessed 198 patients with SSc and 33 healthy controls. They found adipsin was elevated in patients with limited cutaneous SSc (odds ratio = 28.3) and adipsin levels were linked with auto-antibody status, pulmonary function, cardiovascular parameters and PAH (odds ratio = 3.3). In addition, adipsin levels were linked more strongly with PAH compared with B-type natriuretic peptide. Furthermore, adipsin single-nucleotide polymorphisms were linked with PAH and there was elevated adipsin expression in patients with SSc and PAH.– by Will A. Offit
Disclosure: Researchers report funding from Northwestern.
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