ACCELERATED HYPERTENSION AND NEPHROANGIOSCLEROSIS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID SYNDROME - REPORT OF 2 CASES AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

We describe two patients with the primary antiphospholipid syndrome wh o presented with severe hypertension. Renal biopsy specimen provided h istologic evidence of intra-renal vascular disease with intravascular microthrombosis and nephrosclerosis, without feature of proliferative glomerulopathy. Accelerated hypertension and nephroangiosclerosis migh t indeed be one of the complications associated with anticardiolipin a ntibodies. The mechanism responsible might be the interaction of antic ardiolipin antibodies, platelets and endothelial cell leading to micro thrombi formation and increased local mitogenic activity that attract and stimulate neighbouring smooth muscle cell and fibroblast prolifera tion.