Barbara Alving

Bio: Barbara Alving is an academic researcher from Ohio State University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Systemic lupus erythematosus & Lupus anticoagulant. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 1228 citations.

Updating the American College of Rheumatology revised criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abstract: In 1982, the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Criteria Committee of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)published revised criteria for the classification of systemiclupus erythematosus (SLE) (1). During the ensuing decade several investigators, including Drs. Graham Hughes and Donato Alarcon-Segovia, among others, have described the presence and clinical associations or antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with SLE, as well as the occurrence of theprimary antiphospholipid syndrome (2-5). In 1992, Piette and colleagues suggested that the ACR revised criteria be reevaluated in light of the above discoveries (6).

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

Abstract: 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.

The antiphospholipid syndrome.

Abstract: The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the clinical association of antiphospholipid autoantibodies (aPL) with a syndrome of hypercoagulability that can affect any blood vessel, irrespective of type or size. Involvement of larger vessels, such as arteries or veins, manifests in the form of thrombosis or embolism, whereas involvement of smaller vessels, including capillaries, arterioles, and venules, manifests as thrombotic microangiopathy. Virtually any organ in the body, including the kidney, can be affected. Here, we review the basic principles and recent advances in our understanding of APS, and discuss the broad spectrum of renal diseases that have been observed in association with this syndrome. We also discuss the impact that APS may have on pre-existing renal disease as well as current recommendations for treatment of APS.