Anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: Characterization in relation to antiphospholipid syndrome

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is usually defined by the association o f clinical manifestations that comprise venous and/or arterial thrombosis, recurrent fetal losses, and thrombocytopenia, along with the presence of an ticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies and/or lupus anticoagulant. Various infectio us diseases can induce aCL; however, these antibodies are not usually assoc iated with thrombotic events, as happens with autoimmune diseases, in which these antibodies need the presence of beta(2)-glycoprotein I, Levels of im munoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM aCL antibodies were determined by enzyme-linke d immunosorbent assay for 243 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and 100 healthy controls, Clinical events of APS, the level of b eta(2)-glycoprotein dependence of aCL, the presence of cryoglobulins and ot her autoantibodies, and cross-reactivity between purified aCL and HCV were evaluated. Positive results for aCL antibodies were found more frequently ( 3.3%) for the patients with HCV infection than for healthy controls (0%), A ll positive aCL antibodies were beta(2)-glycoprotein I independent. No sign ificant association was found between aCL antibodies and clinical manifesta tions of APS, neither was one found between the presence of other autoantib odies or cryoglobulins and that of aCL, Finally, no cross-reactivity betwee n aCL antibodies and HCV antigens was observed, As previously reported, aCL antibodies seem to be an epiphenomenon, and they do not have clinical or l aboratory significance in HCV patients.