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Background: Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1) and its ligand very late antigen (VLA-4) play important roles in many autoimmune diseases. Our study aimed to investigate serum VCAM-1 level and VLA-4 expression on peripheral blood neutrophil surface in patients with dermatomyositis (DM), especially focusing on patients with interstitial lung disease(ILD).Methods: Blood specimens of 30 patients with DM and 30 healthy controls matched for age and gender were recruited. Total serum VCAM-1 level was measured using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the percentages of VLA-4 expression on the surface of neutrophils were analyzed by flow cytometry. We divided patients into subgroups according to whether they had ILD and whether they exhibited diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) via high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT).Results: Serum VCAM-1 levels were increased in DM patients compared with healthy controls (p<0.001). Patients with DM-ILD had higher serum VCAM-1 levels than those with none-ILD (p=0.015).

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