Anticardiolipin antibodies: association with anti-DNA antibodies, disease activity, renal involvement and a history of thrombosis in systemic lupus erythematosus.

A one-year study was conducted to evaluate the clinical significance of anticardiolipin antibody (ACA) whether it was a reliable predictor for thromboembolic events and related diseases in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. The correlation between ACA and anti-ds-DNA antibodies and disease activity was also studied. Of particular importance was the question if any association could be found between ACA positivity and renal disorders in SLE patients. One hundred and eighty-seven serum samples from 88 SLE patients were assayed for ACA. Clinical records of these patients were reviewed for a history of thromboembolic events, related diseases and renal disorders, 80.7% of the 88 SLE patients were positive for ACA. The incidence of thrombosis and related diseases within this group was 35.1%. Since the correlation was not significant, it does not seem to be advisable to use elevated ACA values as predictive for thromboembolic events and related diseases. On the other hand, an apparent association between ACA levels, anti-DNA antibody levels and disease activity was found.