Anticardiolipin antibodies in acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart disease: is there a significant association?
OBJECTIVE
The incidence and significance of IgG and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies (aCLa) in patients with acute rheumatic fever (ARF), chronic rheumatic heart disease (CRHD) and streptococcal pharyngitis have been investigated in order to determine whether these antibodies play an important role in the pathogenesis and if they are markers that can be used to confirm disease activity.


METHODS
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the IgG and IgM aCLa levels. aCLa levels of patients were considered positive if they were greater than 3.0 standard deviations above the mean for healthy children.


RESULTS
No significant difference in aCLa levels was found between patients with rheumatic fever or streptococcal pharyngitis and healthy controls, and aCLa concentrations did not correlate with the acute phase reactant levels.


CONCLUSIONS
aCLa in patients with ARF and CRHD do not appear to be markers of disease activity, and our data suggest that aCLa do not play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatic fever.
Erciyes University, Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Kayseri, Turkey.
N
N
Narin
N
N
Kütükçüler
F
F
Narin
G
G
Keser
E
E
Doganavsargil
D000293:Adolescent; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000382:microbiology; D012213:Rheumatic Fever / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000150:complications
D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M