Serum and erythrocyte adenosine deaminase activities in patients with Behçet's disease.

OBJECTIVES

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is a non-specific marker of the activation of the T cell, which has an important role in the etiology of Behçet's disease (BD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the determination of ADA activity as an index of T-lymphocyte function in BD, which is known to have an T-cell-mediated immune response.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Adenosine deaminase activities in both serum and erythrocytes were measured in 23 untreated patients with BD and in 20 healthy controls. The patients with BD were divided into two groups: active (n = 10) and inactive (n = 13).

RESULTS

When compared with the control group, serum ADA activity was high (P < 0.01) and erythrocyte ADA activity was significantly low (P < 0.01) in BD. Serum ADA activity of active BD was higher than that of inactive BD (P < 0.01), but erythrocyte ADA activity was found to be lower in active BD than inactive BD (P < 0.01).

COMMENT: These findings may provide an additional benefit for the diagnosis of BD and sub-typing of active and inactive BD.