Table 1.
Characteristics of study populations
| Healthy (n = 20) | APS (n = 20) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age at study entry (IQR) | 49 (36–58) | 47 (36–52) |
| Female, n (%) | 14 (70) | 15 (75) |
| Blood count, median (IQR) | ||
| Leukocyte count [G/L] | 5.2 (4.7–6.4) | 5.2 (4.6–7.9) |
| Haemoglobin [g/dL] | 14.2 (12.8–14.4) | 13.5 (12.2–14.5) |
| Platelet count [G/L] | 259 (229–303) | 220 (166–252) |
| History of thromboembolism, n (%) | ||
| Thromboembolism | 0 (0) | 20 (100) |
| Venous thromboembolism | 0 (0) | 11 (55) |
| Arterial thromboembolism | 0 (0) | 4 (20) |
| Both | 0 (0) | 5 (25) |
| Pregnancy complications, n (%) * | 0 (0) | 11 (73) |
| aPLAs positivity, n (%) ** | ||
| LA + anti-β2GPI + aCL antibodies (triple positivity) | 14 (70) | |
| LA + anti-β2GPI antibodies | 3 (15) | |
| LA + aCL antibodies | 0 (0) | |
| LA alone | 3 (15) | |
| Antithrombotic agents, n (%) | 0 (0) | 19 (95) |
| VKA | 0 (0) | 16 (80) |
| LMWH | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| DOAC | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| LDA | 0 (0) | 4 (20) |
| None | 20 (100) | 1 (5) |
| Concomitant diseases/medication, n (%) | ||
| Concomitant ARD, n (%) | 0 (0) | 6 (30) |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 3 (15) | 8 (40) |
| Hyperlipidaemia, n (%) | 0 (0) | 5 (25) |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 0 (0) | 2 (10) |
| Immunosuppressive therapy, n (%) | 0 (0) | 6 (30) |
*
Percentages for pregnancy complications calculated with regard to 15 female patients only.
**
Cut-offs defining aPLAs parameter positivity: LA positivity: positive aPTT-LA; aCL positivity: >40 GPL/MPL U/ml; anti-β2GPI positivity: >8 GPL/MPL U/ml.
aCL: anticardiolipin antibody; anti-β2GPI: anti-ß2-glycoprotein; aPLA: antiphospholipid antibody; ARD: autoimmune rheumatic disease; DOAC: direct oral anticoagulant; IQR: interquartile range; LA: lupus anticoagulant; LDA: low dose aspirin; LMWH: low molecular weight heparin; VKA: vitamin K antagonist. Patients with concomitant ARD are patients with SLE (n = 4) or lupus-like disease (n = 2).