Thrombomodulin in systemic lupus erythematosus: association with clinical and laboratory parameters.

Thrombomodulin is an endothelial cell membrane glycoprotein and is detected in plasma and serum after endothelial injury. In our study comprising 311 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) clinical and laboratory associations of elevated thrombomodulin serum concentrations were examined. Elevated thrombomodulin concentrations were detected in 7.1% of the SLE patients and were associated with nephritis including the laboratory parameters proteinuria and erythrocyte casts, vasculitis and neurological involvement of the central nervous system. These correlations remained significant after consideration of the influence of renal function. In SLE, the serum thrombomodulin concentration may become a marker to monitor damage of endothelial cells and involvement of the central nervous system.