ABSTRACT
Background: studies on prevalence and correlations of antiphospholipid antibodies[APA] in Rheumatoid Arthritis [RA] are infrequent from developing and Asian countries and the current study is to address this issue
Materials And Methods: fifty unselected Iraqi Rheumatoid Arthritis patients managed at the Baghdad teaching hospital[Baghdad, Iraq], in the period between Nov 1998 and Sept 1999, were evaluated for the presence of Antiphospholipid antibodies [Lupus anticoagulant [LA] and Anticardiolipin antibodies [aCL]], and their clinical and laboratory correlations
Results: anticardiolipin antibodies were detected in 11 [22%] and LA in 4 [8%]patients, including two who had both antibodies concomitantly. The presence of aCL was significantly associated with a lower haemoglobin [p=0.024] and higher ESR [p=0.015], indicating a positive correlation with disease activity, while there were no significant associations of APA with any of the articular or extra-articular manifestations of the disease, or with history of thrombosis, fetal loss, or thrombocytopenia
Conclusions: antiphospholipid antibodies in RA are significantly correlated with disease activity, but not with their classical associations [thrombosis, fetal loss and thrombocytopenia] as seen in SLE and primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome, suggesting heterogeneity of these antibodies