DETECTION OF BETA-2-GLYCOPROTEIN-I-DEPENDENT ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODIES AND ANTI-BETA-2-GLYCOPROTEIN-I ANTIBODY IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS AND IN PATIENTS WITH SYPHILIS

We investigated whether or not antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs; anti phosphadidylserine antibody, aPS; antiphosphatididylinositol antibody, aPI; antiphosphatidic acid antibody, aPA, and antiphosphadidylethanol amine antibody, aPE) were beta(2)-glycoprotein-I (GPI)-dependent antib odies like anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) in patients with systemic lu pus erythematosus (SLE). None of the patients with syphilis or healthy controls was positive for any GPI-dependent aPL. By contrast, GPI-dep endent aCL (40%), aPS (20%), aPI (18%), aPA (12%) and aPE (8%) were de tected in patients with SLE. Among these, 4 patients were negative for aCL, but positive for aPS. Those who were positive for more than 2 ty pes of aPL, along with lupus anticoagulant, had a high incidence of ar teriovenous thrombosis, fetal loss, thrombocytopenia and biological fa lse-positive reaction to syphilis. From these findings we conclude tha t GPI-dependent aPLs, other than aCL, are present in patients with SLE , and we should examine more than 2 types of aPL, such as a combinatio n of aCL and aPS, to avoid overlooking aPL. Furthermore, we confirmed that GPI-independent aPL was not rare in SLE patients, but the clinica l significance of this type of aPL in this clinical setting is unclear .