Serum endocan levels as a marker of disease activity in patients with Behçet disease.

Abstract

Endocan is a novel human endothelial cell-specific molecule. The central role of leukocytes and endothelial dysfunction in the development of Behçet disease (BD) led us to hypothesize that endocan might be a marker of this disease. We investigated the relationship between serum levels of endocan and disease activity in patients with BD. In all, 33 patients (16 active, 17 inactive) with BD and 35 healthy persons were included in the study. Endocan and C-reactive protein were measured in all subjects. Patients with BD had significantly higher serum endocan levels. Mean serum levels of endocan were 1.29 ± 0.60 ng/mL (range: 0.58-2.99) in patients with BD and 0.75 ± 0.16 ng/mL (range: 0.48-1.21) in control subjects (P < .001). In patients with BD, serum endocan levels correlated moderately but significantly with C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and disease activity. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested that the optimum endocan level cut-off point for patients with BD was 0.87 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 75.8% and 80%, respectively (area under curve 0.835, 95% confidence interval 0.738-0.932). The main limitation of our study is the relatively small sample size. Circulating endocan may be a marker of BD activity.