Endothelin-1 Serum Concentration in Pediatric Chronic Idiopathic Uveitis

Katarzyna Powierza,1 Jolanta Sawicka-Powierza,2 Beata Urban,3 Beata Żelazowska-Rutkowska,4 Bogdan Cylwik,4 Bożena Mikołuć,5 Olga Kowalewska,6 Alina Bakunowicz-Łazarczyk3 1University Clinical Hospital in Bialystok, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok 15-276, Poland; 2Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok 15-054, Poland; 3Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok 15-274, Poland; 4Department of Pediatric Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok 15-274, Poland; 5Department of Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Immunology and Metabolic Bone Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok 15-274, Poland; 6Psychiatric Clinic, Lund, Division of Psychiatry, Lund 222 40, SwedenCorrespondence: Jolanta Sawicka-PowierzaDepartment of Family Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Mieszka I 4B Street, Bialystok 15-054, PolandTel +48 857326820Fax +48 857327848Email jolasawicka@gmail.comPurpose: The aim of our study was to determine endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentration in chronic idiopathic uveitis in children and adolescents depending on anatomical location and grade of inflammation.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among 17 patients with chronic idiopathic uveitis and 22 healthy controls. Concentration of ET-1 in serum was determined using a commercially available ELISA kit. The concentration of C reactive protein (CRP) in serum was determined by immunoturbidimetric method using CRP4 reagent kit (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany).Results: Statistically significant difference between ET-1 concentration in patients with chronic idiopathic uveitis and controls was found 1.33 (1.22; 1.48) vs 1.93 (1.1; 3.11), p = 0.008). No correlations were found between ET-1 concentration and age, either in chronic idiopathic uveitis patients or controls. Nine out of 17 patients presented with anterior uveitis, 5 with posterior and 3 with panuveitis. There were no differences in ET-1 concentration between anterior, posterior and panuveitis (p = 0.634), and in terms of grade of inflammation.Conclusion: ET-1 expression is disturbed in pediatric chronic idiopathic uveitis irrespective of the anatomical location and grade of inflammation. Lower expression of ET-1 plays a crucial role in disturbed vascular tone control and can result in permanent visual impairment in chronic non-infectious uveitis.Keywords: adolescents, children, chronic idiopathic uveitis, endothelin-1