The impact of antiphospholipid antibodies/antiphospholipid syndrome on systemic lupus erythematosus

aPLs are a major determinant of the increased cardiovascular risk in patients with SLE. They adversely affect clinical manifestations, damage accrual and prognosis. Apart from the antibodies included in the 2006 revised classification criteria for APS, other non-classical aPLs might help in identifying SLE patients at increased risk of thrombotic events. The best studied are IgA anti-β2-glycoprotein I, anti-domain I β2-glycoprotein I and aPS-PT. Major organ involvement includes kidney and neuropsychiatric systems. aPL/APS severely impacts pregnancy outcomes. Due to increased thrombotic risk, these patients require aggressive cardiovascular risk factor control. Primary prophylaxis is based on low-dose aspirin in high-risk patients. Warfarin is the gold-standard drug for secondary prophylaxis.

Clinical and serological factors associated with lupus pericarditis: a case-control study

OBJECTIVE

Lupus pericarditis, a common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), can be fatal. We examined the prevalence of lupus pericarditis and its associated factors in a Taiwanese SLE cohort.

METHODS

Patients with SLE treated at Change Gung Memorial Hospital between January 2005 and December 2012 were included, and their age, sex, SLE disease duration, SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score, laboratory test results, comorbidities, and treatment regimen were noted. Factors related to lupus pericarditis were examined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Of the 689 patients, 88.7% were women; age at diagnosis (± standard deviation (SD)) was 40.78 ± 15.59 years, and disease duration at study entry was 11.93 ± 8.21 years. The prevalence of lupus pericarditis was 16.4% (n = 113). Notably, older age at diagnosis (p = 0.0165), longer disease duration (p = 0.009), higher SLEDAI score (p < 0.0001), renal disorder (p = 0.003), lymphocytopenia (p < 0.0001), thrombocytopenia (p = 0.004), and anti-phospholipid antibody (aPL) seropositivity (p = 0.002) were significantly associated with lupus pericarditis. In multivariate analysis, adjusted for sex, SLE disease duration, age, and SLEDAI score, patients with lymphocytopenia and aPL seropositivity were related to a twofold (odds ratio (OR) 2.015, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.091-3.858) and 1.5-fold (OR 1.569, 95% CI 1.017-2.421) greater prevalence of lupus pericarditis, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Lupus pericarditis occurred in approximately one fifth of patients in this cohort. Patients with SLE with lymphocytopenia or anti-phospholipid antibody seropositivity were associated with a higher rate of lupus pericarditis. Key Points • Lupus pericarditis is a common manifestation of SLE that occurred in one-fifth patients in this study. • Lymphocytopenia and aPL antibody seropositivity are associated with a higher likelihood of developing lupus pericarditis. • Patients with lupus pericarditis should be identify early and treated with caution to prevent further morbidity and mortality.

COVID-19 and Antiphospholipid Antibodies: Time for a Reality Check?

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) comprise a panel of autoantibodies that reflect a potential prothrombotic risk in several autoimmune conditions, most notably antiphospholipid (antibody) syndrome (APS). aPL can be divided into those that form part of the laboratory criteria for APS, namely, lupus anticoagulant (LA), as well as anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies (aβ2GPI) of the immunoglobulin G and M classes, and those that form a group considered as "noncriteria antibodies." The noncriteria antibodies include, for example, antiphosphatidylserine antibodies (aPS), antiprothrombin antibodies (aPT), and antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin complex antibodies (aPS/PT). COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) represents a prothrombotic disorder, and there have been several reports of various aPL being present in COVID-19 patients. There have also been similarities drawn between some of the pathophysiological features of COVID-19 and APS, in particular, the most severe form, catastrophic APS (CAPS). In this review, we critically appraise the literature on aPL and COVID-19. This is a companion piece to a separate review focused on LA. In the current review, we primarily concentrate on the so-called solid phase identifiable aPL, such as aCL and aβ2GPI, but also reflect on noncriteria aPL. We conclude that aPL positivity may be a feature of COVID-19, at least in some patients, but in general, identified "solid-phase" aPL are of low titer and not able to be well-linked to the thrombotic aspects of COVID-19. Also, most publications did not assess for aPL persistence, and where persistence was checked, the findings appeared to represent transient aPL. Importantly, high-titer aPL or multiple aPL positivity (including double, triple) were in the minority of COVID-19 presentations, and thus discount any widespread presence of APS, including the most severe form CAPS, in COVID-19 patients.