Objective. To analyze the clinical and immunologic manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in a large cohort of patients and to define patterns of disease expression. Methods. The clinical and serologic features of APS (Sapporo preliminary criteria) in 1,000 patients from 13 European countries were analyzed using a computerized database. Results. The cohort consisted of 820 female patients (82.0%) and 180 male patients (18.0%) with a mean +/- SD age of 42 +/- 14 years at study entry. "Primary" APS was present in 53.1% of the patients; APS was associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in 36.2%, with lupus-like syndrome in 5.0%, and with other diseases in 5.9%. A variety of thrombotic manifestations affecting the majority of organs were recorded. A catastrophic APS occurred in 0.8% of the patients. Patients with APS associated with SLE had more episodes of arthritis and livedo reticularis, and more frequently exhibited thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. Female patients had a higher frequency of arthritis, livedo reticularis, and migraine. Male patients had a higher frequency of myocardial infarction, epilepsy, and arterial thrombosis in the lower legs and feet. In 28 patients (2.8%), disease onset occurred before age 15; these patients had more episodes of chorea and jugular vein thrombosis than the remaining patients. In 127 patients (12.7%), disease onset occurred after age 50; most of these patients were men. These patients had a higher frequency of stroke and angina pectoris, but a lower frequency of livedo reticularis, than the remaining patients. Conclusion. APS may affect any organ of the body and display a broad spectrum of manifestations. An association with SLE, the patient's sex, and the patient's age at disease onset can modify the disease expression and define specific subsets of APS.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/art.10187

Antiphospholipid syndrome: Clinical and immunologic manifestations and patterns of disease expression in a cohort of 1,000 patients

The antiphospholipid syndrome: ten years on

Comparison of the primary and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome: A European multicenter study of 114 patients☆

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is defined by the presence of anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and venous or arterial thrombosis, recurrent pregnancy loss, or thrombocytopenia. The syndrome can be either primary or secondary to an underlying condition, most commonly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Echocardiographic studies have disclosed heart valve abnormalities in about a third of patients with primary APS. SLE patients with aPLs have a higher prevalence of valvular involvement than those without these antibodies. Valvular lesions associated with aPLs occur as valve masses (nonbacterial vegetations) or thickening. These two morphological alterations can be combined and are thought to reflect the same pathological process. Both can be associated with valve dysfunction, although such association is much more common with the latter alteration. The predominant functional abnormality is regurgitation; stenosis is rare. The mitral valve is mainly affected, followed by the aortic valve. Valvular involvement usually does not cause clinical valvular heart disease. The presence of aPLs seems to further increase the risk for thromboembolic complications, mainly cerebrovascular, posed by valve lesions. Superadded bacterial endocarditis is rare but may be difficult to distinguish from pseudoinfective endocarditis. The current therapeutic guidelines are those for APS in general. Secondary antithrombotic prevention with long-term, high-intensity oral anticoagulation is advised. The efficacy of aspirin, either alone or in combination, is yet to be assessed. Corticosteroids are not beneficial and may even facilitate valve damage. Immunosuppressive agents should only be used for the treatment of an underlying condition. Current data suggest a role for aPLs in the pathogenesis of valvular lesions. aPLs may promote the formation of valve thrombi. These antibodies may also act by another mechanism, as indicated by the finding of subendothelial deposits of immunoglobulins, including anti-cardiolipin antibodies, and of colocalized complement components in deformed valves from patients with APS.

Heart Valve Involvement (Libman-Sacks Endocarditis) in the Antiphospholipid Syndrome

In the course of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), the existence of vaso-occlusive lesions capable of affecting numerous organs is now well established. The renal involvement attributable to primary APS, APS nephropathy (APSN), corresponds to vaso-occlusive lesions of the intrarenal vessels, associating side-by-side, acute thromboses with chronic arterial and arteriolar lesions, leading to zones of cortical ischemic atrophy. A retrospective study of 114 lupus patients undergoing renal biopsy was undertaken to determine the following: (1) if APSN can be found in the course of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); (2) if certain clinical and biologic factors can permit the prediction of the presence of APSN; and (3) if APSN is a superadded renal morbidity factor in lupus patients. This study shows the following: (1) APSN occurs in SLE (32% of patients with renal biopsies) in addition to, and independently of, lupus nephritis; (2) APSN is statistically associated with lupus anticoagulant but not with anticardiolipin antibodies; (3) APSN is associated with extrarenal APS, mainly arterial thromboses and obstetrical fetal loss, but not with the venous thromboses of APS; (4) APSN is an independent risk factor, over and above lupus nephritis, that contributes to an elevated prevalence of hypertension, elevated serum creatinine, and increased interstitial fibrosis. Thus, it seems likely that, because of its associations with hypertension, elevated serum creatinine, and increased interstitial fibrosis, APSN may worsen the prognosis in these patients. APSN may also have therapeutic significance in that its recognition should permit a better balance between immunosuppressor and antithrombotic and/or vasoprotective therapy. Finally, this study suggests that APSN should be considered as an element to be included in the classification criteria of APS.

Antiphospholipid Syndrome Nephropathy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

A prospective echocardiographic study was carried out on 55 patients with the recently described 'primary' antiphospholipid syndrome derived from three university medical centres. The prevalence of valvular lesions in patients with this syndrome was 38% compared with 4% in a control group of 55 healthy volunteers (P < 0.001). Mean age of patients with valve was 42 ± 12 years and of those without, 30 ± 10 years (P < 0.05). One patient had a morphologic echocardiographic pattern suggestive of non-infective verrucous mitral endocarditis. Twenty patients had a two-dimensional or Doppler echocardiographic pattern of significant valvular dysfunction —either regurgitation or stenosis—without evidence of vegetations. Mitral and aortic regurgitation were the most common lesions in these patients. During follow-up of patients with valvular disease, haemodynamically significant clinical valve disease developed in four and surgery was required in one. Eleven patients had cerebrovascular occlusions. Thus, valvular hea...

Angel Romero

Papers

High Prevalence of Significant Heart Valve Lesions in Patients with the 'Primary' Antiphospholipid Syndrome