Abstract
The plasma and urinary levels of thrombomodulin (TM), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in 24 patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (H-SP); 11 patients without nephritis and 13 with nephritis. The plasma and urinary levels of TM increased during the acute phase of H-SP (≤2 weeks after disease onset). In patients without nephritis in the late phase (>2 weeks), the levels decreased significantly as compared to the levels in the acute phase. In patients with nephritis, whose hematuria measured 10/HPF or more, the plasma and urinary TM levels remained significantly elevated in the late phase. The plasma and urinary IL-1β levels did not show significant changes. The plasma TNF-a levels showed changes similar to those of TM, suggesting a specific relation between TM and TNF-cr. From these results, it is suggested that systemic or renal vascular endothelial cell damage continues for more than two weeks after disease onset in patients with nephritis.
