INCREASED SERUM ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME-ACTIVITY IN SARCOIDOSIS

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 13  (10) , 995-1000
Abstract
The activity of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), assayed fluorometrically with the substrate hippuryl-L-histidyl-L-leucine was significantly higher in 116 patients with sarcoidosis than in 415 patients with other diseases.sbd.pulmonary and nonpulmonary.sbd.and in 58 normal subjects. Serum ACE was elevated in 59% of 46 recently diagnosed, untreated patients with sarcoidosis and was significantly reduced following steroid therapy in 3 patients with sarcoidosis, but in only 1 of 4 patients treated with placebos. The results suggest that elevated serum ACE activity is a valuable, although not absolutely specific, diagnostic indicator of sarcoidosis. A normal value does not rule out the disease. Steroid therapy tends to reduce the serum ACE activity.