[Assay of anticardiolipin antibodies and its clinical significance]

In some individuals, the presence of antibodies to negatively charged phospholipids, currently measured as the lupus anticoagulant, and anticardiolipin antibodies is associated with certain clinical features, particularly a predisposition to both arterial and venous thromboses, thrombocytopenia, and spontaneous abortion. This syndrome is seen in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, methods for measuring anticardiolipin antibody, especially epitope of anticardiolipin antibody which is not considered cardiolipin itself, but rather a complex of cardiolipin and beta 2-glycoprotein I are not well defined. Although many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the relation between antiphospholipid antibodies and thrombosis, the pathogenesis of thrombosis remains unclear. In this article, some problems in assaying anticardiolipin antibody, characteristics of antiphospholipid antibodies and the clinical significance of these antibodies are reviewed and discussed.