Prevalence and clinical significance of antiphospholipid antibodies in heart valve disease: a case-control study

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Published on: February 4, 2021

O Bouillanne1, A Millaire, P de Groote

  • 1Division of Cardiology, University of Lille, France.

American Heart Journal
|October 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies were more common in heart valve disease patients than controls. However, aPL antibodies did not increase the risk of postoperative thrombotic events in this patient group.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Immunology
  • Thrombosis Research

Background:

  • Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are associated with an increased risk of thrombosis.
  • Their prevalence and impact in patients with non-specific heart valve disease undergoing valve replacement are not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the prevalence of antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies in patients with non-specific heart valve disease referred for valve replacement.
  • To determine if the presence of aPL antibodies increases the risk of thrombotic events postoperatively.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study involving 89 patients undergoing heart valve replacement and 80 matched controls.
  • Sera tested for cardiolipin antibodies (IgG, IgM) and lupus anticoagulant.
  • Patients categorized into subgroups based on aPL antibody presence.

Main Results:

  • Significantly higher prevalence of aPL antibodies in patients (21%) compared to controls (9%) (p < 0.05).
  • History of arterial thrombosis was more frequent in patients with aPL antibodies (42%) versus those without (11%) (p < 0.01).
  • No significant difference in thrombotic event occurrence during 8.7 months of follow-up.

Conclusions:

  • Patients undergoing heart valve replacement exhibit a high prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies compared to controls.
  • The presence of aPL antibodies was not associated with an increased risk of postoperative thrombotic events in this cohort.

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