X. Juanola et al., PREVALENCE OF ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH ANKYLOSING-SPONDYLITIS, Journal of rheumatology, 22(10), 1995, pp. 1891-1893
Objective. To establish the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies
(aPL) in a group of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The rel
ation of the antibodies with different clinical and analytical cal fea
tures was studied. Methods. Eighty-four patients with AS (71 men) and
40 age and sex matched controls were studied. aPL determinations inclu
ded: anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) of the IgM, IgG, and IgA classes
, the presence of lupus anticoagulant (LAC), and a false positive sero
logic test for syphilis. Comparisons between variables were done by St
udent t test, Mann-Whitney test and Chi squared test. Correlations bet
ween aPL and clinical variables were performed by Pearson coefficients
. Results. Twenty-four patients with AS (29%) had positive IgG aCL, co
mpared with only 2 cases in the control group (5%) (p <0.002). There w
ere no differences in other aPL determinations between patients and co
ntrols. There was no correlation between the presence of aCL (Igc, IgM
, or IgA) and LAC and the different aspects of the disease. Two patien
ts fulfilled the criteria for antiphospholipid syndrome. Conclusion. O
ur results indicate the presence of IgG aCL in patients with AS higher
than in the normal population but their relation with thrombosis and
other systemic manifestations seems weak.