Antiphospholipid (Hughes') syndrome in African-Americans: IgA aCL and alpha beta(2) glycoprotein-I is the most frequent isotype

Antiphospholipid (Hughes') syndrome (APS) has not been reported in African- Americans (A-A) as frequently as in other ethnic groups. We describe eight A-A female patients with APS, including two cases of primary APS (PAPS), fo ur with APS secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), one with Sjogr en's syndrome, and one with overlap connective tissue disease (CTD). Their mean age was 34 y (range 24-47 y). Patients were followed for a mean of 6 y (range 0.3-11 y). During follow up, both anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti-/b eta(2)glycoplotein-1 (a beta(2)GPI) antibodies were measured in stored sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). IgA was the most frequent is otype of aCL and a beta(2)GPI, and co-occurred with the IBM isotype in thre e of four patients with neurologic manifestations.