Clinical diagnosis in patients with positive antiphospholipid antibodies

Abstract

Objective: To know the relationship between the presence of three antiphospholipid antibodies: lupus anticoagulant and the anticardiolipin of isotypes IgM and IgG with the development of thrombotic events and alterations in coagulation and also, study the clinical environment in which those antibodies appear. Material and methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study in which we have analyzed retrospectively, in 123 patients with positive results for at least one of the antiphospholipid antibodies under study, their alterations in coagulation, if they suffer or have suffered any thrombotic event and the clinical environment in which these antibodies appear and. Results: 52,1% of patients with positive lupus anticoagulant have some type of abnormality in coagulation tests, compared with 43,75% of patients with anticardiolipin of isotype IgG and 24,64% of patients with anticardiolipin of isotypes IgM. The most frequent antibody in patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome is anticardiolipin of isotypes IgM, which appears in 75%, while in the case of patients with secondary antiphospholipid syndrome due to erythematosus systemic lupus, the most frequent antibody is anticardiolipin of isotypes IgG, which is detected in 46,7%. Among the patients who suffered thrombotic event, in 45,94% anticardiolipin of isotypes IgM was detected, compared with 43,24% with lupus anticoagulant, and only 16,22% with anticardiolipin of isotype IgG. Conclusions: The antiphospholipid antibodies that alters coagulation tests to a greater extent is the lupus anticoagulant. Anticardiolipin of isotype IgM antibodies are the most frequent in primary antiphospholipid syndrome while anticardiolipin of isotype IgG are associated in a greater degree with secondary antiphospholipid syndrome, especially in patients with erythematosus systemic lupus. Anticardiolipin of isotype IgM antibodies represent a higher risk of thrombotic events in patients with positive antiphospholipid antibodies.