Occurrence of anti-prothrombin and anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies in patients with history of thrombosis.

New evidence indicates that antibodies to beta2-glycoprotein I (anti-beta2GPI) or to human prothrombin (anti-II)(or to both of these) are specific markers of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). They have been mainly associated with thrombotic complications in patients with APS. However, some studies have reported that elevated levels of anti-II, but not of anfi-beta2GPI, imply a risk of venous thrombosis (VT) or arterial thrombosis (AT) in subjects with no previous thrombosis and no antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) by ELISA. The present study Included 180 patients with a history of thrombosis, 83 of them without aPL (group I) and the remaining 97 diagnosed as having APS (group II). Anti-beta2GPI was found in only 1 of the 83 patients from group I but was found in approximately 50% of those from group II (P < .0001). In contrast, positive anti-II was detected with a high prevalence in patients from group I (VT, 22.6%; AT, 26.7%) and in those from group II (VT, 37.5%; AT, 14.6%). No statistical differences were found in the prevalence of anti-II between the two groups of patients. On the other hand, such a difference was significant when compared with results in a normal group (1/67, 1.4%, P < .0001). These data Indicate that anti-II occurs frequently in patients with previous thrombosis either with or without lupus anticoagulant activity. Accordingly, testing of anti-II might be clinically useful in the evaluation for thrombophilla.