[Anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with ischemic brain disease]

Anticardiolipin antibodies are best defined antiphospholipid antibodies and a recently described marker of increased risk for ischemic brain disease. Investigations were performed in 151 patients with ischemic brain disease in order to determine the occurrence of anticardiolipin antibodies and define the clinical characteristics of patients with an increased titer of anticardiolipin antibodies. Measurement of anticardiolipin antibody titer was performed by immunoenzyme method. Besides, analyses of certain tests indicative for blood coagulative properties were also done. In addition, the occurrence of anticardiolipin antibodies was investigated in 49 patients with other non-immune neurological diseases and disorders. Control sera were obtained from 50 healthy subjects and 6 patients with senile cataract. Investigation showed the increase of anticardiolipin antibody titer in 22.8% of the patients with ischemic brain disease (30% with transient ischemic attacks, 19% with brain infarction) and in 4% of the patients with other neurological disorders of non-immunological genesis. The patients with increased titer of anticardiolipin antibodies suffered more frequently from recurrent forms of ischemic brain disease, all of them were below 50, and they had less risk factors for atherosclerosis and ischemic brain disease. It was concluded that the presence of increased titer of anticardiolipin antibodies in younger patients with recurrent forms of ischemic brain disease and less risk factors could be the marker of the increased risk for ischemic brain disease.