Clinical significance of serum soluble T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 levels in systemic sclerosis: Association with disease severity.

T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3) has been thought to play a crucial role in the negative regulation of immune responses. Here, we examined the levels of serum soluble TIM-3 (sTIM-3) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and evaluated the results with respect to the clinical features of the disease. Patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) had higher levels of sTIM-3 than those with limited cutaneous SSc and healthy individuals. Serum sTIM-3 levels were positively correlated with the severity of skin sclerosis in early phase dcSSc. Moreover, serum sTIM-3 levels were increased more often in patients with renal crisis and cardiac involvement than in those with normal sTIM-3 levels. These results suggest that serum sTIM-3 levels may be increased in patients with early phase dcSSc and associated with cardiac involvement and renal crisis. Measurement of serum sTIM-3 may be useful for risk stratification in the early stage of the disease.