Lupus patients with peripheral vascular thrombosis: The significance of measuring anticardiolipin antibody

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the significance of measuring anticardiolipin (ACL) antibodies in Chinese lupus patients with peripheral vascular thrombosis. A total of 252 lupus patients were evaluated prospectively for the presence of peripheral vascular thrombosis in a 3-year period. Tests of ACL antibodies with three isotypes were done serially during follow-up. There were 10 lupus patients with five episodes of arterial thrombosis and seven episodes of venous thrombosis by the evidences of angiographical and/or pathological findings. The ACL antibody status was negative ( 5 SD) for 43.3%, 22.6%, and 34.1% patients, respectively. Patients with high levels (>5 SD) of ACL antibodies had a high frequency of peripheral vascular thrombosis than patients with negative levels (>2 SD) of ACL antibodies ( P