Clinical significance of serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in patients with localized scleroderma.

Localized scleroderma has been reported to be accompanied by abnormal immune reactions, including autoantibody production and lymphocyte activation. Lymphocyte activation can be quantitatively detected by measuring soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in serum samples. In this study, serum sIL-2R levels were assayed by a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in 48 patients with localized scleroderma, in 20 with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and in 20 healthy controls. Serum levels of sIL-2R were significantly higher in patients with localized scleroderma than in healthy controls. The serum levels of sIL-2R were correlated with the number of sclerotic lesions, the number of involved areas, the levels of anti-ssDNA, and the levels of antihistone antibody immunoglobulin M. Moreover, sIL-2R levels in sera from patients with SSc were also significantly higher than in healthy controls. Elevated serum levels of sIL-2R in localized scleroderma suggest that lymphocyte activation is one of the early processes in the development of this disease.