Portal hypertension associated with anticardiolipin antibodies in a case of systemic lupus erythematosus.

A 26-year-old man with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a history of acute myocardial infarction developed portal hypertension accompanied by abnormal liver function and esophageal varices. As his clinical course suggested the possibility of antiphospholipid syndrome, a titer of anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) was serially measured using an enzyme immunoassay with beta 2-glycoprotein I as a cofactor. The titer of aCL increased with the development of portal hypertension, and promptly decreased with the improvement of liver function just after corticosteroid therapy. The long-term course in this case suggests that aCL may cause portal hypertension associated with SLE.