Anticardiolipin antibodies, free protein S levels and thrombosis: a survey in a selected population of rheumatoid arthritis patients

Abstract

The association observed between aCL positivity and decreased levels of free protein S in RA patients may represent one of the risk factors for thrombotic events.

Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis and Association With Disease Duration and Hospitalization

“…[4][5][6][7][8] Several of these have reported relative risks greater than 1, but the designs (mainly cross-sectional or hospital-based) have not permitted estimations of the underlying clinical risks or rates overall in population-based cohorts or of the risks or rates in relation to different patient characteristics, such as rheumatoid factor status or RA duration. 5,7 In a recent population-based cohort study, a tripled risk of VTE in a cohort of patients with RA compared with risk in a comparison cohort of individuals without RA was presented 4 but because the number of events during follow-up was small (19 in patients with RA, 11 in those without), the study was underpowered to study the association between VTE and subgroups of RA. Another recent study based on hospitalization data to define RA and to detect the outcome (pulmonary embolism) suggested a 6-fold increased risk of pulmonary embolism in RA (compared with the general population not required to be hospitalized) which decreased over time.…”

The prevalence and clinical significance of antiphospholipid antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis

“…Plasma levels of natural anticoagulant proteins such as protein S, protein C, and antithrombin III were investigated in a selected population of 184 female R A patients with and without aCL positivity [24]. Lower free protein S levels were found in aCL-positive patients compared with aCL-negative patients and controls.…”

Is inflammatory bowel disease an independent and disease specific risk factor for thromboembolism?

“…Rheumatoid arthritis is one example of a chronic inflammatory disease, and thromboembolic events have been described in rheumatoid arthritis patients, especially in association with antiphospholipid antibodies. 7 Additionally, TE has been reported in rheumatoid arthritis as a postoperative complication after arthroplasty. 8 Coeliac disease is a chronic bowel disease in which TE has occasionally been reported.…”