Anti-Cardiolipin (Phospholipids) Syndrome

Anticardiolipin (aCL) autoimmune antibodies are a subset of antibodies which react with negatively charged phospholipids. One type of antiphospholipid, lupus anticoagulant (LA), is frequently found in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. LA is defined as an immunoglobulin that prolongs in vitro coagulation tests (e.g., APTT or PT). Anticardiolipin antibodies are also frequently observed in patients with SLE. One autoantibody, LA, is measured with a bioassay and the other autoantibody, aCL, is measured based on affinity for cardiolipin. In many cases both autoantibodies are present in a single patient and may be the same antibody in some cases. Thrombosis and spontaneous abortion are among the symptoms common to SLE patients. In fact, elevated levels of anticardiolipin antibodies have been strongly associated with the presence of both venous and arterial thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, and recurrent fetal loss. Patients who present with these manifestations are known to have an "anti-phospholipid syndrome". Anticardiolipin (aCL) and lupus anticoagulant (LA) are not limited to SLE patients. In fact, the majority of people who have these autoantibodies do not have SLE. These antibodies occur in patients with other autoimmune diseases and in individuals with no apparent autoimmune disease. Many subjects manifest one or more of the clinical complications associated with the presence of anti-phospholipid antibodies in their circulation.

Laboratory medicine has seen significant improvement for anti-phospholipid testing during the past two decades. Kits designed before the 1990's did not reliably detect anti-beta-2 glycoprotein, the most significant disease specific component. Many normal, healthy subjects have various anti-cardiolipin reactivities and these false reactions minimized this assay's clinical usefulness. During the 1990's the complex interaction of a common serum protein, beta-2 glycoprotein, and a fatty acid, phosphotydl serine, was defined and shown to be a specific and diagnostic antibody response. Genbio's Cardiolipin is standardized to assure a reproducible and sensitive measure of this anti-beta-2 glycoprotein reaction. An additional beta-2 glycoprotein test is not required.

The ImmunoWELL Cardiolipin Antibody (IgG) Test and the ImmunoWELL Cardiolipin Antibody (IgM) Test are EIA assays which measure specific IgG and/or IgM aCL in human serum. The ImmunoWELL test provides highly reproducible results expressed in units that are standardized against an internationally recognized reference preparation. Levels of aCL antibodies are reported as GPL or MPL units.

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