This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Carbone, J Articles by Fernández-Cruz, E Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Carbone, J Articles by Fernández-Cruz, E Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Immunological abnormalities in primary APS evolving into SLE: 6 years follow-up in women with repeated pregnancy loss

Division of Immunology, Horpital General Universitario Gregorio Maranñón, Community of Madrid, Spain

M Orera

M Rodríguez-Mahou

C Rodríguez-Pérez

S Sánchez-Ramón

E Seoane

J J Rodríguez

J M Zabay

E Fernández-Cruz

Genetics Unit, Horpital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Community of Madrid, Spain

We have performed a prospective study to determine the prevalence of immunological abnormalities and the evolution from primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) into systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in women who had had unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (PL) and APS. Of 105 women with abortions or fetal deaths, 33(31%) fulfilled criteria for APS. Among these patients with primary APS, 24% had antinuclear antibodies (ANA), 91% had elevated circulating immune complexes (CIC), 70% had low total haemolytic complement (CH100), 52% had low levels of complement 4 (C4) and 30% had low levels of complement 3 (C3), in a significantly higher prevalence than women whose pregnancies were successful (control group). Through out a 6 y follow-up, 3 (9%) of the patients with APS who had autoimmune related abnormalities when entered into the study developed features of lupus like disease (LLD) or fullblown SLE. Our findings suggest that women with unexplained repeated PL with APS who presented with positive ANA, high levels of CIC, low levels of CH100, C3 and C4, may define a subset of patients exhibiting immunological alterations similar to those of SLE. These parameters may help in the assessment of prognosis in APS patients with PL. Those patients should be carefully surveyed with regard to the development of connective tissue diseases.

Key Words: antiphospholipid syndrome • pregnancy loss • antinuclear antibodies • autoimmunity • lupus like disease

Lupus, Vol. 8, No. 4, 274-278 (1999)
DOI: 10.1191/096120399678847777


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. CARBONE, A. GALLEGO, N. LANIO, J. NAVARRO, M. ORERA, A. AGUARON, E. FERNANDEZ-CRUZ, and E. SARMIENTO Quantitative Abnormalities of Peripheral Blood Distinct T, B, and Natural Killer Cell Subsets and Clinical Findings in Obstetric Antiphospholipid Syndrome J Rheumatol, June 1, 2009; 36(6): 1217 - 1225. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. A Asherson, S. S Pierangeli, and R. Cervera Is there a microangiopathic antiphospholipid syndrome? Ann Rheum Dis, April 1, 2007; 66(4): 429 - 432. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J T Merrill Antibodies and clinical features of the antiphospholipid syndrome as criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, November 1, 2004; 13(11): 869 - 876. [Abstract] [PDF]