STROKEAHA.118.023021.pdf (original) (raw)

Recurrent stroke and thrombo-occlusive events in the antiphospholipid syndrome

Annals of Neurology, 1995

We prospectively studied 8 1 consecutively identified patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) who developed focal cerebral ischemia over a 7-year period. The mean age of this cohort was approximately a decade younger than the average atherothromboembolic stroke victim and women were more commonly involved than men. The frequency of conventional stroke risk factors was lowest in the group of stroke patients with the highest levels of IgG cardiolipin immunoreactivity. Other serological abnormalities associated with aPL (falsepositive Veneral Disease Research Laboratory test, thrombocytopenia, prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time [aPTT]) were more common in the group with over 100 GPL units (high positive). Patients with the highest IgG anticardiolipin titers had the shortest times to subsequent thrombo-occlusive events. The most common recurrent event was cerebral infarction, often occurring within the first year of follow-up during a mean prospective follow-up of 3 years. Over one-half of the cohort had at least one recurrent thrombo-occlusive event during follow-up. This distinct syndrome of cerebral ischemia should be recognized for its younger age at onset, predominance of women, high risk of recurrent thrombo-occlusive events, and the possible use of the IgG anticardiolipin antibody titer for prognosis.

Antiphospholipid Antibodies and Recurrent Thrombotic Events: Persistence and Portfolio

Cerebrovascular diseases (Basel, Switzerland), 2015

There are very limited prospective data on the significance of persistent antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and recurrent thrombo-occlusive events (TOEs). We investigated the prognostic value of (1) 2 newer aPL assays, (2) an aPL portfolio and (3) persistent aPL positivity following stroke. A total of 1,770 subjects from the APASS-WARSS study underwent further aPL testing for antibodies to phosphatidylserine (aPS) and anti-β2-glycoprotein-I (anti-β2GPI) from stored sera. Follow-up aPL status was also tested in a subset of subjects. Primary analysis was based on time to any TOE (ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, transient ischemic attack, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or systemic arterial occlusion)/death at 2 years. Cox proportional hazard analyses assessed whether aPL independently related to outcome. Persistent anti-β2GPI decreased the time to TOE/death after adjustment for potential confounders (hazards ratio (HR) 2.86, 95% CI 1.21-6.76, p = 0.017). When persiste...

Controversies in the antiphospholipid syndrome and stroke

Thrombosis Research, 2004

Many clinicians providing care and advice to patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), where the principal clinical manifestation is stroke, do so in the setting of an evidence base of mixed quality. Indeed, systematic studies have not particularly helped the practising clinician as they have been characterised by variable criteria used to select subjects, making it impossible to extrapolate to typical clinic patients. This has left us with a number of key questions, each of which attracts controversy in terms of patient management. In this review, these are posed as a series of questions with the answer, or lack of one, considered after each question. The review draws attention to the important questions that require answers for current primary and secondary prevention, as well as treatment of APS and stroke, and suggests a series of studies that are needed to clarify these issues. D

Anticoagulation Strategies for Treatment of Ischemic Stroke and Antiphospholipid Syndrome: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Pharmacotherapy, 2006

A 49-year-old Caucasian man with antiphospholipid syndrome who experienced an ischemic stroke required multidisciplinary decisions regarding acute and long-term care. The patient first received warfarin and unfractionated heparin, followed by low-molecular-weight heparin. However, he developed complications from these drugs (warfarin-induced necrosis and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia), resulting in thigh necrosis and multiple additional cerebral and peripheral infarcts. His condition improved after warfarin and the heparins were discontinued, and a direct thrombin inhibitor, argatroban, was given intravenously for acute treatment. Argatroban is the only anticoagulant known to be safe in patients who experience an acute ischemic stroke in the setting of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. For long-term anticoagulation, fondaparinux, an indirect, selective factor Xa inhibitor, was given subcutaneously. The patient received intravenous dexamethasone, later changed to azathioprine, for immunomodulatory treatment. He had significant improvement in his neurologic deficits without recurrent events over the next 18 months. Management of anticoagulation therapy in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome is complex and challenging, and therapeutic strategies need to be evaluated further.

Anticardiolipin antibodies are not an independent risk factor for stroke: An incident case referent study

Atherosclerosis, 2000

Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) have been proposed to be an independent risk factor for stroke. To test this hypothesis, a nested case-control study was performed to compare aCL with the other known risk factors for stroke. Within the framework of the World Health Organization Multinational Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA) project and the Västerbotten Intervention Program (VIP) health survey, 44 725 men and women were enrolled and followed up from January 1, 1985, through August 31, 1996. Individuals free from cardiovascular events were followed up, and 123 developed stroke (on average, 34.1 months after blood sampling; 21 cerebral hemorrhage and 102 cerebral infarction); they were compared with 241 age- and sex-matched control subjects from the same population. ELISA was used for the analysis of IgG, IgM, and IgA aCL. IgM-aCL were present in 11.4% of patients (14/123) who developed stroke and in 4. 1% of individuals (10/241) who remained healthy (P=0.013, OR 2.97, 95% CI 1.28 to 6.89). The OR for the levels of IgM-aCL was 1.34 (P=0. 01, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.68) without adjustment for other risk factors and 1.24 when adjusted for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, and use of smokeless tobacco (P=0.077, 95% CI 0. 98 to 1.56). There was no difference between patients and controls for the prevalence or level of IgG-aCL and IgA-aCL and also no difference between patients with cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction for the prevalence of all 3 isotypes of aCL. We conclude that aCL are associated with future stroke but do not constitute an independent risk factor.