Antiphospholipid Antibodies and Systemic Scleroderma

Objective: Antiphospholipid antibodies (APLs) could be associated with an increased risk of vascular pathologies in systemic scleroderma. The aim of our study was to search for APLs in patients affected by systemic scleroderma and to evaluate their involvement in the clinical manifestations of this disease. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study, from January 2009 until August 2010, with patients received at the Department of Dermatology (Dakar, Senegal). Blood samples were taken at the hematology laboratory and were analyzed for the presence of APLs. Results: Forty patients were recruited. Various types of either isolated or associated APLs were found in 23 patients, i.e. 57.5% of the study population. The most frequently encountered antibody was IgG anti-β2 GPI (37.5% of the patients), followed by anticardiolipins (17.5%) and lupus anticoagulants (5%). No statistically significant association of positive antiphospholipid-related tests to any of the scleroderma complications could be demonstrated. Conclusion: A high proportion of patients showing association of systemic scleroderma and APLs suggests the presence of a morbid correlation between these 2 pathologies. It would be useful to follow a cohort of patients affected by systemic scleroderma in order to monitor vascular complications following confirmation of the presence of antiphospholipid syndrome.