Lachikarathman Devegowda1 , Veena Nanjappa2 , Prabhakar B.3 , Asima Banu4 , Anindya Sundar Trivedi5 , Suneetha Nagraj6
BACKGROUND Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) have been recognized as an independent risk factor for an increased risk of thrombosis. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of aCL antibodies in patients with CVT (Cerebral Venous Thrombosis) and correlate clinical profile of CVT with anticardiolipin antibody titre. METHODS Forty-two patients with CVT diagnosed by neuroimaging were investigated for the presence of aCL. We compared the clinical profile of ACL antibody positive and negative group. RESULTS Anticardiolipin antibodies were detected in 30.9 % of CVT patients. In anticardiolipin antibody negative group, mean age was 26.76 ± 8.49 years, compared to positive group in which mean age was 32.00 ± 10.88 years which was statistically not significant. In our study, mean leukocyte count was low among aCL positive group compared to negative group (8396 ± 2694.8 vs. 10472.41 ± 3353.5), which was statistically not significant. Both positive and negative groups were comparable with respect to other clinical findings. CONCLUSIONS Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) have been recognized as an independent risk factor for an increased risk of thrombosis. Its presence in patients with CVT requires lifelong anticoagulation to prevent recurrence. So all patients of CVT need to be evaluated for the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies.
