Presence of antiphospholipid antibodies tied to first-time MI

(HealthDay)—There is a strong and independent association between the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and first-time myocardial infarction (MI), according to a research letter published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Giorgia Grosso, M.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues assessed the frequency of anti-β₂-glycoprotein (anti-β₂GPI) and anticardiolipin (anti-CL) of immunoglobulin G (IgG)/IgA/IgM isotypes and antinuclear antibodies among 805 patients with first-time MI (<75 years) and 805 matched control participants in a large multicenter study.

The researchers found that IgG anti-β₂GPI and/or IgG anti-CL (aPL IgG-positive) were more common in patients with MI (11.1 percent) versus control participants (1.3 percent; P < 0.001). IgA/IgM isotypes did not differ. There was a strong correlation between anti-CL and anti-β₂GPI of the same isotype. After adjustment for traditional risk factors, aPL IgG positivity (odds ratio, 7.8; P < 0.001) and current smoking (odds ratio, 2.6; P < 0.001) remained associated with MI, while diabetes, hypertension, and body mass index did not. Age did not differ among aPL IgG-positive and -negative patients with MI (P = 0.146), but aPL IgG positivity was nonsignificantly more common among women (P = 0.062) and current smokers (P = 0.085).

"If confirmed in long-term cohort studies, these findings may lead to improved management, treatment, and outcomes for many patients who have had or are at high risk for MI," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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