Introduction: We evaluated the serum level of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) and investigated the correlation between the serum level of sICAM-1 and clinical findings.
Material and methods: We measured the serum level of sICAM-1 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 19 untreated patients with inflammatory myopathy (14 patients with PM and 5 patients with DM), 20 patients with other neuromuscular disorders in which immunological mechanisms are unlikely to be involved, and 14 normal healthy controls.
Results: The serum level of sICAM-1 was significantly higher in patients with PM/DM compared with patients with other neurological disorders and control subjects. The sICAM-1 level was, however, not correlated with the clinical characteristic including disease severity, the duration of illness, and the serum level of CK.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that sICAM-1 is involved in the inflammatory process of PM and DM.