Antiphospholipid antibodies and ischaemic heart disease

Antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) have been detected in various conditions including venous and arterial thrombosis, recurrent fetal loss, thrombocytopenia and cardiac valvular lesions. APA were initially found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but later have been demonstrated also in patients without connective tissue disease. We report the extensive evaluation of a 24-year-old otherwise healthy male with APA and a family history of SLE who presented with severe ischaemic heart disease requiring coronary by-pass surgery.