title: Absence of antiphospholipid/co-factor antibodies in Takayasu arteritis.
abstract: There are anecdotal reports and small series describing the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with Takayasu Arteritis. This communication describes a systematic study searching for non-organ specific autoantibodies which includes antinuclear antibodies, anticardiolipin and anti-beta(2) GP(1) antibodies in a cohort of 28 Mexicans with angiographic definitive diagnostic of Takayasu Arteritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight consecutive patients, who fulfilled classification and diagnostic criteria for Takayasu Arteritis and had a diagnostic panaortogram, were bled to study the presence of circulating autoantibodies in a cross-sectional design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no antinuclear antibodies, although a few sera had faint cytoplasm fluorescent deposit and reacted with cell extract. We did not recognize a distinct pattern. Also, there was no IgG nor IgM anticardiolipin antibodies nor anticofactor antibodies of clinical interest.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of circulating non-organ specific autoantibodies is not a characteristic feature in Takayasu Arteritis when strict diagnostic criteria are applied. The occasional presence of such immune markers could be due to technical differences in sample management, less strict diagnosis or biological variability in certain cases, but has no diagnostic value.
authors.affiliation: Autoimmunity Research Laboratory, Hôpital Notre Dame, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Quebec, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nava
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Senécal
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bañales
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Raymond
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Reyes
mesh_terms: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000032:analysis; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin / Q000032:analysis; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M