ANTICARDIOLIPIN AND ANTI-BETA(2)-GLYCOPROTEIN-I ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently suffer from thromboembolic events. Anti-cardiolipin (aCL) antibodies have been sho wn to be associated with thrombosis. Recently, the antibodies against the anti-cardiolipin cofactor beta(2)-glycoprotein I (a beta(2)GPI) ha ve been found with higher specificity for thrombosis. The presence of these antibodies was assessed in 128 patients with IBD [83 with ulcera tive colitis (UC) and 45 with Crohn's disease (CD)] and 100 healthy co ntrols (blood donors). Patients with UC and CD had a significantly hig her prevalence of aCL (18.1% and 15.6%, respectively) than healthy con trols (HC) (3%). Eleven IBD patients (8.6%) but no HC had a beta(2)GPI . None of the IBD patients with a history of thrombosis had aCL and on ly one of them (a UC patient with deep vein thrombosis of the right le g) had a high titer of IgG a beta(2)GPI. In conclusion, these data sho w that both aCL and a beta(2)GPI are significantly associated with IBD but further studies are needed to determine the significance of our f indings.