[Antiphospholipid antibodies in the elderly patients with ischemic stroke]

The importance of antiphospholipid antibodies as a cause of ischemic stroke in young adults is well demonstrated in the previous studies, but the relationship between the elderly patients with ischemic stroke and antiphospholipid antibodies is not defined. The frequency of positivity for antiphospholipid antibodies was 5.4% (6 out of 112 elderly patients with ischemic stroke), and much higher than that of the elderly healthy individuals (none of 108 individuals) (p < 0.001). Equal numbers of stroke patients with or without antiphospholipid antibodies had other stroke risk factors. The clinical features of the elderly patients with ischemic stroke, who were positive for antiphospholipid antibodies, presented recurrent and multiple infarct dementia, and had thromboses of the other organs. The hemostatic state of the patients with positive antiphospholipid antibodies revealed, in particular, increased intravascular coagulation. Antithrombotic treatment with warfarin at high international normalized ratios (INRs: 1.47-2.80) were effective comparing with antiplatelet treatment with ticlopidine alone in preventing further thromboembolic events.