Angiotensin-converting enzyme in sarcoidosis.

Abstract

Using a spectrophotometric assay with L-hippuryl-L-histidyl-L-leucine as substrate, s-angiotensin-converting enzyme (SACE) was determined in 85 sarcoidosis patients, 116 healthy controls and 150 patients with various non-sarcoid diseases. The controls showed no sex or age variation and had SACE levels of 24.4 +/- 6.2 U/ml (mean +/- 1 S.D.), giving a normal range (mean +/- 2 S.D.) of 12.0-36.8 U/ml. In contrast, the sarcoidosis patients had SACE values of 38.4 +/- 14.4 U/ml, with the highest values in cases with active sarcoidosis and duration of disease longer than two years (49.0 +/- 12.7 U/ml). A total of 41% of the sarcoidosis patients had elevated SACE, in the chronic active group 85%. Patients with renal failure, Hodgkin's disease and other malignant lymphoma had low SACE, whereas patients with lung cancer and tuberculosis had normal SACE values. Among 266 patients with non-sarcoid diseases and healthy controls, only two had slightly elevated SACE, but so far we have not found SACE above 40 U/ml in other than sarcoidosis patients. An elevated SACE is rather specific in sarcoidosis and seems to be a useful supplement to existing diagnostic measures.

• Authors: F K Rømer
• Journal: Acta medica Scandinavica (Acta Med Scand) Vol. 206 Issue 1-2 Pg. 27-30 ( 1979) ISSN: 0001-6101 [Print] Sweden
• PMID: 225928 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Female
• Hodgkin Disease (enzymology)
• Humans
• Kidney Failure, Chronic (enzymology)
• Lung Neoplasms (enzymology)
• Lymphoma (enzymology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A (analysis)
• Sarcoidosis (diagnosis, enzymology)
• Spectrophotometry
• Tuberculosis, Pulmonary (enzymology)