Production of APRIL by PBMC from healthy controls, the whole patient group and different subgroups of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Patients with SSc were categorized according to the different clinical and immunological variables.
| Category | Group | Concentration of APRIL in pg/ml/105 cells, mean ± SD | p, Between-group Comparisons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy controls (HC) | 798 ± 219 | < 0.05 HC vs SSc | |
| SSc patients | 961 ± 151 | ||
| Skin involvement | Diffuse SSc (dSSc) | 1071 ± 91 | < 0.05 vs ISSc and HC |
| Limited SSc (ISSc) | 887 ± 138 | NS vs HC | |
| Scleroderma interstitial lung disease | Present | 1076 ± 118 | < 0.05 vs patients without SLD and HC |
| Absent | 864 ± 111 | NS vs HC | |
| Peripheral vasculopathy* | Present | 1022 ± 146 | < 0.05 vs patients without vasculopathy and HC |
| Absent | 850 ± 74 | NS vs HC | |
| Capillaroscopic pattern | “Active” | 1050 ± 117 | < 0.05 vs “slow” and HC |
| “Slow” | 908 ± 129 | 0.06 vs HC | |
| Anti-topo I | Present | 1052 ± 113 | < 0.05 vs patients without anti-topo I and HC |
| Absent | 825 ± 78 | NS vs HC | |
| Anticentromere antibodies (ACA) | Present | 843 ± 67 | NS vs HC |
| Absent | 1011 ± 149 | < 0.05 vs patients with ACA and HC |
Differences considered significant at p < 0.05.
↵* Defined as presence of digital ulcers and/or pitting scars. Anti-topo I: anti-topoisomerase I antibodies; dSSc: diffuse systemic sclerosis; ISSc: limited systemic sclerosis; NS: not significant; PBMC: peripheral blood mononuclear cells, SLD: scleroderma interstitial lung disease.