Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate the significance of differences in serum angiotensin converting enzyme and lysozyme levels between the patient groups.
Methods:
This is a prospective study involving 37 patients with HLAB27+ ankylosing spondylitis, 47 patients with HLAB51+ behcet disease, 29 patients with sarcoidosis and 27 patients with quantiferon+ latent tuberculosis. The patients are included in the study according to the tenets of Decleration of Helsinki. The serum levels of angiotensin converting enzyme and lysozyme are analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Krusal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests are used for age distribution, and Chi Square test is used for sex distribution. Multivariate analysis of covariance is used to analyze the significance of differences in serum levels of angiotensin converting enzyme and lysozyme between the patient groups.
Results:
The increase in serum angiotensin converting enzyme level is significant for patients with sarcoidosis with respect to HLAB27+ankylosing spondylitis, (p<0.001) HLAB51+ behcet disease, (p<0.001) and quantiferon+ latent tuberculosis. (p=0.015) The increase in serum lysozyme level is significant for patients with sarcoidosis with respect to HLAB27+ ankylosing spondylitis,( p< 0.001) and HLAB51+ behcet disease. (p<0.001) However, there is no significant difference of increase serum lysozyme levels between patients with sarcoidosis and quantiferon+ latent tuberculosis. (p=0.051)
Conclusions:
The increase in serum angiotensin converting enzyme level is helpful for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The increase in serum lysozyme level is considered to be helpful for the diagnosis of both sarcoidosis and quantiferon+ latent tuberculosis.
Keywords: 459 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: biostatistics/epidemiology methodology •
514 enzymes/enzyme inhibitors •
746 uveitis-clinical/animal model