Biological and clinical heterogeneity of lupus and lupus-like anticoagulant in fifty-seven patients.

A lupus or lupus-like inhibitor was detected in 57 patients: 24 systemic lupus erythematosus, 9 autoimmune diseases, 10 lymphoproliferative disease, 11 miscellaneous diseases and 3 asymptomatic patients. No hemorrhagic diathesis was observed in spite of major surgery. Thromboembolism occurred in 19 patients. Among them, 5 patients had recurrent abortions. An extensive study of coagulation profile compared different assays to investigate lupus-like inhibitor: the most sensitive assay was the partial thromboplastin time performed without activator. When performed with kaolin, it was the only assay detecting the lupus cofactor. Prothrombin time was prolonged in only 53% of the patients. Factors VIII, IX, XI and XII were in the normal range in 40% of the patients. When decreased, apparent deficiencies were usually not detectable on further dilutions of the test samples. In 7 patients factor XII antigen and activity were both decreased, suggesting an apparent factor XII deficiency. No relationship was observed between thromboembolic events, underlying disease or biological pattern.