Table 2:
Identification of Three Distinct Clusters of Patients Among Those Included in the APS ACTION Registry
| Variables, n (%) | Cluster 1 (n=179) | Cluster 2 (n=180) | Cluster 3 (n=138) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Mean Age, year±SD | 41.9±11.6 | 42.3±12.5 | 51.0±12.4 a,b |
| Female | 145 (81.0) c | 145 (80.6) c | 92 (66.7) |
| Male | 34 (19) | 35 (19.4) | 46 (33.3) a,b |
| Past Medical History | |||
| Clinical Criteria* | |||
| Arterial Thrombosis | 28 (15.6) | 51 (28.3)a | 95 (68.8) a,b |
| Venous Thromboembolism | 84 (46.9) c | 85 (47.2) c | 45 (32.6) |
| Small vessel thrombosis | 9 (5.0) | 11 (6.1) | 10 (7.2) |
| Pregnancy morbidity** | 73/97 (75.3) | 67/103 (65.0) | 42/66 (63.6) |
| Non-Criteria Manifestations | |||
| Heart Valve Disease | 9 (5.0) | 6 (3.3) | 23 (16.7) a,b |
| Livedo | 15 (8.4) | 26 (14.4) | 30 (21.7) a |
| Skin Ulcer | 6 (3.4) | 11 (6.1) | 14 (10.1) a |
| Neurological Manifestations | 22 (12.3) | 26 (14.4) | 58 (42.0) a,b |
| aPL Nephropathy | 2 (1.1) | 10 (5.6) c | 0 (0) |
| Thrombocytopenia | 22 (12.3) | 45 (25.0) a | 22 (15.9) |
| AutoImmune Diseases | |||
| None or unknown | 145 (81.0) b | 99 (55.0) | 102 (73.9) |
| SLE | 25 (14.0) | 74 (41.1) a,c | 26 (18.8) |
| Other | 9 (5.0) | 7 (3.9) | 10 (7.2) |
| Cardiovascular Risk Factors | |||
| Hypertension | 14 (7.8) | 33 (18.3)a | 99 (71.7) a,b |
| Diabetes | 4 (2.2) | 5 (2.8) | 12 (8.7) a |
| Hyperlipidemia | 12 (6.7) | 31 (17.2)a | 65 (47.1) a,b |
| Obesity | 31 (17.3) | 49 (27.2) | 60 (43.5) a,b |
| Smoking | 44 (24.6) | 61 (33.9) | 74 (53.6) a,b |
| Laboratory Parameters | |||
| Antiphospholipid Antibodies | |||
| Lupus Anticoagulant | 129 (72.1) | 152 (84.4) a | 105 (76.1) |
| Anticardiolipin Antibodies | 166 (92.7) b,c | 63 (35.0) | 115 (83.3)b |
| Anti-β2-GPI Antibodies | 138 (77.1) b,c | 25 (13.9) | 73 (52.9)b |
| Triple aPL-positivity | 99 (55.3) b,c | 13 (7.2) | 56 (40.6)b |
| Other Laboratory Parameters | |||
| Hemolytic Anemia | 2 (1.1) | 18 (10.0) a | 6 (4.3) |
| Antinuclear Antibodies | 104 (58.4) | 117 (65.7) c | 72 (52.2) |
| dsDNA Antibodies | 43 (24.0) | 61 (33.9) c | 23 (16.7) |
| Low C3 | 20 (29.9) | 39 (49.4) a | 18 (48.6) |
| Low C4 | 24 (35.8) | 36 (45.6) | 15 (40.5) |
Significantly (p<0.05) more prevalent than Cluster 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
Anti-β2-GPI: Anti-β2-Glycoprotein I antibodies; aPL: antiphospholipid antibodies; SD: Standard Deviation; SLE: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Several clinical manifestations can occur in the same patient.
Among 266 aPL-positive female patients who have been pregnant.
The variable with the highest percentage, which is significantly more common compared to one other cluster only is defined as “Predominant Variable (bold)”, and to two other clusters as “Discriminant Variable (bold & underlined)” (NB: for each variable, when both discriminant and predominant variables are present, only the discriminant variable is shown in bold to facilitate the reading).