ANTICARDIOLIPIN ANTIBODIES IN RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - THEIR RELATION TO RHEUMATOID NODULES AND CUTANEOUS VASCULAR MANIFESTATIONS

One hundred and seventy-three consecutive patients with rheumatoid art hritis were examined for the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies (A CA), and for the clinical relevance and the relation of these antibodi es to skin manifestations. Abnormally elevated IgG- and/or IgM-ACA lev els were detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the sera of 55 (32%) patients. There was no statistical evidence of an associat ion between ACA and a history of thrombosis in these patients. However , ACA were statistically significantly linked to the presence of rheum atoid nodules, which were found in 36 (21%) patients. In three patient s, ACA were associated with vascular manifestations, including livedo reticularis, thrombophlebitis, and leucocytoclastic vasculitis. Our fi ndings suggest that, although a subset of ACA may be linked to cutaneo us vascular conditions, the major fraction of ACA in rheumatoid arthri tis may have a different specificity than in other diseases, in which ACA are often linked to thrombotic events.