PREVALENCE AND SIGNIFICATION OF ANTINUCLEAR AND ANTICARDIOLIPIN ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH EPILEPSY

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of autoantibodies in patients wit h epilepsy and to find a possible relationship between antinuclear ant ibodies (ANA) and/or anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies and epilepsy. PA TIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred sixty-three consecutive, unselected pa tients followed at the Centre Saint-Paul, a French medical center spec ialized in epilepsy, were included in the study. IgG and IgM class aCL antibodies were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELI SA). IgG class ANA was detected by an indirect immunofluorescence tech nique with Hep2 cells as the substrate. Sera from 100 healthy blood do nors, matched for age and sex, were used as controls. RESULTS: In 31 s era, IgG class aCL antibodies were detected at a value higher than 17 GPL unit (19%, P = 0.0003); 10 of them had a value higher than 35 GPL unit. IgM class aCL antibodies were not detected at a significant valu e. For 6 of the 31 sera, there was a beta(2)-glycoprotein I dependence . None of the patients with aCL antibodies in the serum had a past his tory of deep venous or arterial thrombosis. ANA were detected in the s era from 41 patients (25%, P < 0.005). The presence of autoantibodies in the serum was not statistically dependent on the type of epilepsy, the kind of antiepileptic drug, or the age or sex of the patients. CON CLUSIONS: Our study suggests that there is a relationship between epil epsy and aCL antibodies, even in the patients without systemic lupus e rythematosus. Large prospective studies are needed to define the role of the aCL antibodies and ANA in pathophysiology of epilepsy. (C) 1997 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.