Serum angiostatin levels in patients with Behcet's disease: does angiogenesis play a role in the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease?

Angiogenesis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, but the possible role of angiogenesis in Behcet's disease (BD) has not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to determine angiostatin levels in patients with BD and the role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of the disease. Thirty-seven patients with BD (mean age: 28.6 +/- 5.4 years, mean disease duration: 9.3 +/- 3.7 years) and 18 healthy controls were enrolled to the study. Twenty-four patients were in active and 13 patients were in inactive stage of the disease. The mean serum angiostatin level of patients with BD was 113.9 +/- 653.2 and 60.7 +/- 20.1 ng/ml in healthy controls. The mean serum angiostatin level was 142.7 +/- 43.1 ng/ml in active and 86.9 +/- 15.5 ng/ml in inactive patients with BD. Serum angiostatin levels were significantly high in patients with BD compared with healthy controls (P<0.001) and it was significantly high in active patients compared with inactive patients with BD (P<0.001). In inactive patients with BD, serum angiostatin concentrations were found to be higher compared with healthy controls (P<0.01). In active BD patients, the mean serum angiostatin level was correlated with the deep vein thrombosis (r=0.482, P=0.05), uveitis (r=0.582, P=0.01), and arthritis (r=0.492, P=0.05). According to these results; elevated serum angiostatin levels in patients with BD suggest the possible role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of the disease and its high levels in inactive Behcet's patients is related with the continuous activation of the disease even in the subclinical period.