Circulating soluble CD28 in patients with Behçet’s disease: Relationship to clinical manifestations

K. Hamzaoui¹, A. Hamzaoui^1,2, L. Bouajina³, H. Houman⁴

¹Medicine University of Tunis, Homeostasis and Cell Dysfunction Unit Research 99/UR/08-40, Tunis; ²Pneumology Hospital A. Mami, Department of Respiratory Diseases, Ariana; ³Farhat Hached Hospital, Department of Rheumatology Diseases, Sussa; ⁴La Rabta Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Tunis, Tunisia.

ABSTRACT
Objective
This study evaluates the presence of serum soluble CD28 (sCD28) in Behçet’s disease (BD) and its relationship with clinical manifestations.

Methods
Soluble CD28 concentration was determined by ELISA in 120 patients with BD (80 patients in active stage), 60 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 60 healthy subjects.

Results
Concentrations of sCD28 were significantly higher in patients with BD and RA than in healthy subjects. Patients with active BD expressed the highest level of sCD28 in serum. Soluble CD28 exhibited a drastic increase in active BD patients, compared to BD in remission. Soluble CD28 concentrations were higher in patients with active BD patients having vasculitis. Significant positive correlation was observed in a longitudinal study of 15 BD patients, between sCD28 and C-reactive protein.

Conclusion
Our study suggests that fluctuations of sCD28 in BD reflects disease activity and should be assessed in evaluating disease activity.

Key words
Behçet’s disease, soluble CD28.

Please address correspondence to: Prof. Kamel Hamzaoui, PhD, Medicine University Tunis, no. 15 Rue Djebel Lakdar, 1007 Tunis, Tunisia.
E-mail: Kamel.Hamzaoui@fmt.rnu.tn

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2005; 23 (suppl. 38): S49-S52.
© CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY 2005.