Pittsburgh Medical Center: Researchers Identify Biomarkers for Lupus

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> Public release date: 4-Nov-2004

> Contact: Alan Aldinger AldiAL@...

> Phone: 412-624-2607 Fax: 412-624-3184

> Raczkiewicz RaczkiewiczFA@...

> Phone: 412-624-2607 Fax: 412-624-3184

>

> University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

>

>

> Pitt researchers identify biomarkers of lupus which

> could lead to

> quicker and better diagnosis PITTSBURGH, Nov. 4

> – University of

> Pittsburgh researchers have identified biomarkers

> that could result in

> earlier and more accurate diagnosis of systemic

> lupus erythematosus

> (SLE), a devastating disease that affects as many as

> 1.5 million

> Americans, and occurs 10 to 15 times more frequently

> in women. The

> results are published in the November 2004 issue of

> Arthritis &

> Rheumatism.

>

> " This is the first report of abnormal levels of the

> protein

> erythrocyte-C4d in human disease, " said lead author

> Manzi, M.D.,

> M.P.H., associate professor of medicine,

> epidemiology and dermatology

> at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

> and the University

> of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

> " Abnormally high

> levels of erythrocyte-C4d and low levels of

> erythrocyte-CR1 are

> characteristic of SLE and combined measurement of

> the two proteins has

> high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for

> lupus. "

>

> The significance of the finding is substantial,

> according to ph

> Ahearn, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the

> University of

> Pittsburgh School of Medicine and senior author of

> the study.

>

> " Today we are one step closer to providing patients

> with an immediate

> and accurate diagnosis, one step closer to providing

> physicians with

> the ability to offer better treatment options and

> one step closer to

> providing incentive to lower the cost of health care

> for patients

> suffering from lupus, " Dr. Ahearn said.

>

> " Lupus is the prototypical autoimmune disease and

> arguably the

> greatest diagnostic challenge among rheumatologic

> diseases, " he said.

> " The spectrum of disease among patients with SLE is

> broad and ranges

> from subtle or vague symptoms to life-threatening

> multiorgan failure,

> and the manifestations of lupus often mimic those of

> other diseases

> makes it difficult to diagnose. "

>

> It is not unusual for a patient with lupus to seek

> advice from a

> variety of specialists and subspecialists over a

> period of years

> before being accurately diagnosed, which results in

> delays in

> receiving proper therapy and an ultimately greater

> cost for treating

> the disease and its complications. Although there is

> no cure for

> lupus, there are many ways to treat symptoms,

> including chemotherapy.

>

> Currently, most physicians rely on blood

> abnormalities to aid in the

> diagnosis of SLE, but according to Dr. Manzi, these

> tests are

> inadequate because they are not sensitive or

> specific enough.

>

> In the study, researchers used blood samples taken

> from each

> participant and analyzed them using flow cytometry

> to compare the

> levels of proteins in 100 patients who were

> confirmed to have lupus,

> 133 patients who had other diseases and conditions

> including myositis,

> systemic sclerosis, hepatitis and rheumatoid

> arthritis, and 84 healthy

> patients.

>

> Lupus is a widespread and chronic autoimmune disease

> that, for unknown

> reasons, causes the immune system to attack the

> body's own tissue and

> organs, including the joints, kidneys, heart, lungs,

> brain, blood and

> skin.

>

> The immune system normally protects the body against

> viruses, bacteria

> and other foreign materials. In an autoimmune

> disease like lupus, the

> immune system loses its ability to tell the

> difference between foreign

> substances and its own cells and tissue. The immune

> system then makes

> antibodies directed against itself.

>

> ###

>

> The study was supported by grants from the National

> Institutes of

> Health, the Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania, the

> Alliance for Lupus

> Research, the Lupus Foundation America, Southeastern

> Pennsylvania

> Chapter and the National Arthritis Foundation.

>

> For more information, media may contact Alan

> Aldinger at

> aldial@... or by calling 412-624-2607, while

> patients may visit

> <http://www.lupuscenter.org> www.lupuscenter.org or

> call The Lupus Center

> of Excellence, of which

> Drs. Manzi and Ahearn are co-directors, at

> 412-648-9413.

>

>

>

<http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/uopm-pri102804.php>

>

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/uopm-pri102804.php

>

>

>

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