title: [Prevalence and role of anticardiolipin antibodies in Crohn disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anticardiolipin antibodies belong to the group of antiphospholid antibodies, and may be seen in association with endothelial damage and recurrent vascular thrombosis. The aim of our study was to determine in patients with Crohn's disease the frequency of anticardiolipin antibodies, and to correlate their presence with clinical activity and treatment of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and thirty-eight sera from patients with Crohn's disease and 118 from age-matched controls were tested for IgG anticardiolipin antibodies. In the Crohn's disease group, we determined whether the patients had a past history of vascular thrombosis, a clinically active intestinal disease, or a current immunosuppressive therapy (steroids or azathioprine).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anticardiolipin antibodies were found significantly more often in patients with Crohn's disease than in controls: 11.0% versus 2.5%, P < 0.02. Three patients with Crohn's disease had a past history of vascular thrombosis, but none of them had anticardiolipin antibodies. The presence of anticardiolipin antibodies was not correlated with the fact that patients had a clinically active disease (P = 0.77), or a current immunosuppressive therapy at the time of the serological test (P = 0.95).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a significantly high prevalence of patients with anticardiolipin antibodies during Crohn's disease. The positivity of the test does not seem to be correlated to the existence of a past history of vascular thrombosis, nor to the clinical activity of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Rothschild, Paris.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lonjon
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beaugerie
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deschamps
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barthet
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carbonnel
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ngô
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cosnes
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abuaf
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gendre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000276:immunology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin
vernacular_title: Prévalence et rôle des anticorps anticardiolipine dans la maladie de Crohn.