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[Antiphospholipid antibodies and epilepsy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus]
1Servicio de Medicina Interna, CSU de Bellvitge, Hospital de Bellvitge-Princeps d'Espanya, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona.
Objective:
To verify the possible relationship between the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APLA) and the presence of epileptic seizures in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Methods:
A total of 168 patients with SLE were studied. Fifteen patients had antecedents of epilepsy which were non attributable to a cause other than SLE. Epilepsy was diagnosed on clinical and electroencephalographic grounds. Antibodies to cardiolipin (CLa) and lupus anticoagulant (LA) were measured.
Results:
Epileptic seizures were generalized in 13 and partial in two patients. The lupus anticoagulant was positive in 40% of patients with epilepsy compared to 32% in the control group; CLa IgG in 53.5% compared to 65.6%, and CLa IgM in 40% compared to 35.2%. Differences were never statistically significant. Neither when patients with moderate/high CLa levels were studied. Seven patients (40%) had some of the classical manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome.
Conclusions:
No association was found between positive APLA and epilepsy in patients with SLE.