The clinical relevance of IgA anticardiolipin and IgA anti-β2 glycoprotein I antiphospholipid antibodies A systematic review

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is diagnosed in patients with thromboembolic events and/or pregnancy loss in the presence of persistent laboratory evidence for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). Diagnostic tests for the detection of antiphospholipid antibodies include laboratory assays that detect anticardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulants, and anti-beta(2)-glycoprotein I antibodies. Most studies on aPL have mainly focused on the estimation of the IgG and IgM isotypes, with only a few studies reporting on the pathogenic significance of IgA aPL. In this review we aimed to summarize and analyze the evidence published in the literature on the prevalence and the clinical significance of IgA aPL. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.