F. VIII is produced by the blood vessel wall. Noxious stimuli increase endothelial release of F. VIII Related Antigen (VIII R:Ag). It might be expected that the development of vasculitis would be associated with increased levels of VIII R:Ag. Eight patient groups have been studied; 25 patients with systemic sclerosis, 19 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 15 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) plus vasculitis, 19 with systemic vasculitis and 14 with atherosclerosis. These were compared to 29

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... with primary Raynaud's Disease, 15 with RA without vasculitis and 50 controls. Results show that where there was evidence of vascular disease, VIII R:Ag was elevated.VIII R:Ag appeared a more specific marker for vascular damage than ESR or CRP. Further longitudinal studies in 11 patients showed good correlation between progression of vascular disease and VIII R:Ag.