CONTRIBUTION OF THE SEARCH FOR CARDIOLIPI N ANTIBODIES IN THE COURSE OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

The anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) are aquired inhibiting antibodies of the coagulation process. They interfere with the anionic phospholi pids of the cellular membranous. These are frequently associated to th e autoimmune diseases, especially the systemic lupus erythematosus (SL E), they expose the patient to thrombotic complications. In order to d efine the possible and prognostic predictive value of these aCL, a seq uentiel research of these antibodies was performed on 12 patients suff ering from SLE since 2 to 11 years. An average of one sample per year was drawn, either during an attack or in a routine control check. The detection of these IgG aCL did not appear to be related with be course of the disease. In fact, 3 of our patients, ill since respectively 2, 7 and 11 years, never showed any aCL. These aCL were positive during an attack in 80 % of the cases. This positivity was associated to vasc ular thrombosis (2 cases), and cutaneous vascularity (6 cases) and, in one case, the presence of aCL was linked to inutero fetal death due t o retroplacentary hematoma. This study confirms the association betwee n aCL and thrombosis during systemic lupus erythematosus.