INFLUENCE OF ANTICARDIOLIPIN ANTIBODIES ON IMMEDIATE PATIENT OUTCOME AFTER MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

Aim-To determine whether the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with suspected myocardial infarction is predictive of compli cations during hospital stay or after discharge. Methods-Anticardiolip in antibodies were serially measured in a cohort of 111 patients, from the time of admission to the coronary care unit till eight weeks afte r discharge. Associations with fatal and non-fatal cardiac complicatio ns were documented. Results-The incidence of raised titres of IgG and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) in patients with myocardial infar ction was comparable with that in patients with ischaemic heart diseas e. ACA titres in patients with a previous myocardial infarct were not significantly different from those found in patients without a previou s history of infarction. Over the period of the study, ACA titres in t he myocardial infarct group did not change significantly from those re corded on admission, nor did those patients with raised ACA titres hav e a higher prevalence of complications in hospital or in the early per iod after discharge. Conclusions-There is no evidence that patients wi th an acute or previous myocardial infarct have higher ACA titres than those found in patients with ischaemic heart disease. Raised ACA titr es soon after myocardial infarction do not influence immediate patient outcome.