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Serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‐1, vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1, and interleukin‐2 receptor in patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis and allergic conjunctivitis
Author(s) -
Uchio E.,
Ono S.,
Ikezawa Z.,
Ohno S.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1034/j.1398-9995.1999.00738.x
Subject(s) - vernal keratoconjunctivitis , allergic conjunctivitis , medicine , cell adhesion molecule , immunology , allergic inflammation , intercellular adhesion molecule 1 , inflammation , keratoconjunctivitis , atopic dermatitis , intercellular adhesion molecule , allergy , cell adhesion , cell , dermatology , biology , genetics
Background: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is characterized by severe ocular allergic inflammation that may have a poor visual prognosis. Due to the high frequency of the presence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in VKC, most systemic parameters are dependent on the clinical severity of AD. Methods: Serum levels of sICAM‐1, sVCAM‐1, and sIL‐2R were measured by enzyme‐linked immunoassay using samples from 30 VKC patients, 30 allergic conjunctivitis (AC) patients, and 20 normal subjects, to determine whether the concentrations of these molecules are elevated. Results: Circulating sICAM‐1 and sIL‐2R levels were increased in patients with VKC with AD compared with those in VKC without AD, AC, and normal controls. Serum levels of sVCAM‐1 in VKC patients with and without AD were significantly higher than those in controls. No significant difference was found in the levels of sVCAM‐1 between patients with VKC with and without AD. In VKC patients with AD, the sIL‐2R level correlated significantly with severity of AD, whereas no such correlation was found for sICAM‐1 and sVCAM‐1. Conclusions: These results suggest that serum sVCAM‐1 can be used as a marker to differentiate VKC from nonproliferative ocular allergic diseases, and specific immunologic features of VKC may underlie the upregulation of serum sVCAM‐1.