Serum endocan levels as a marker of disease activity in patients with Behcet disease

Background: Endocan is a novel human endothelial cell-specific molecule. The central role of leukocytes and endothelial dysfunction in the development of Behcet disease (BD) led us to hypothesize that endocan might be a marker of this disease. Objective: We investigated the relationship between serum levels of endocan and disease activity in patients with BD. Methods: In all, 33 patients (16 active, 17 inactive) with BD and 35 healthy persons were included in the study. Endocan and C-reactive protein were measured in all subjects. Results: Patients with BD had significantly higher serum endocan levels. Mean serum levels of endocan were 1.29 +/- 0.60 ng/mL (range: 0.58-2.99) in patients with BD and 0.75 +/- 0.16 ng/mL (range: 0.48-1.21) in control subjects (P < .001). In patients with BD, serum endocan levels correlated moderately but significantly with C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and disease activity. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested that the optimum endocan level cut-off point for patients with BD was 0.87 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 75.8% and 80%, respectively (area under curve 0.835, 95% confidence interval 0.738-0.932). Limitations: The main limitation of our study is the relatively small sample size. Conclusions: Circulating endocan may be a marker of BD activity.