Risk of Thromboembolism in patients with idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic disease and antiphospholipid antibodies: results from a prospective, case-control study

During a period of 4 years, 21 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic disease (IAHD) and 42 healthy, sex- and age-matched subjects, were tested for the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA). At diagnosis, APA were detected in 10/21 (47.6%) patients and in 2/42 (4.76%) controls (p 0.01). No thromboembolic events were registered during the follow-up period

AUTOIMMUNITY IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: STUDY A WIDE SPECTRUM OF AUTOANTIBODIES

We have followed up 63 pregnancies in women with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ATP). Of these, 15 were previously splenectomized. The characteristics of the sample can be summed up as follows: average age 27 years (17-41); platelets at the beginning of pregnancy, mean 129.5 x 10(9)/l (range 16-488); platelets at delivery, mean 133 x 10(9)/l (range 8-477); PA-IgG at delivery, mean 320 ng IgG/10(7) platelets (range 10-1000); SPB-IgG at delivery, mean 262 ng IgG/10(7) platelets (range 10-1000). There were 30 spontaneous deliveries and 33 cesarean sections. Forty-two newborns had a platelet count within the normal range while nine had a platelet count less than or equal to 150 x 10(9)/l, while six had less than or equal to 100 x 10(9)/l and a further six less than or equal to 50 x 10(9)/l. The aim of this study is the evaluation of maternal risk and of possible feto-neonatal thrombocytopenia at birth. In this regard, the following parameters were considered: previous maternal splenectomy; the platelet count at the beginning of pregnancy; the platelet count and the titres of PA-IgG and SPB-IgG at delivery. Preliminary statistical evaluation of these parameters enabled us to identify a risk score. From this it was possible to obtain an optimum management of the final stage of pregnancy regarding the therapeutic approach and the timing of delivery

Autoimmunity and AIDS. I. Correlation between anti-cardiolipin antibodies and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

The Authors four that IgG anticorardiolipin antibodies (ACA) detected in patients with AIDS are primarily directed against epitopes on Pneumocystis carinii epitopes which are shared by lipoid auto antigens (molecular mimicry)

ANTICARDIOLIPIN ANTIBODIES IN OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS IN AIDS

Autoimmune disorders are involved in the pathogenesis of AIDS. Clinical association between AIDS and and autoimmune diseases including arthritis, polymyositis, hemolytic anemia, vitiligo thrombocytopenic purpura, vasculitis, glomerulonephritis and Sjogren's syndrome, have been described. The authors try to assess a) the frequency of autoantibodies including anticardiolipin antibodies (ACAs) in sera from anti-HIV+ subjects and AIDS patients grouped according to their opportunistic infections and b) to verify the presence of phospholipid (cardiolipin) molecules on P. carinii and to their immunologic properties. The increased ACA in patients suffering from pneumocystosis was statistically significant as compared to all other groups

Recurrent partial seizures with ictal yawning as atypical presentation of Hashimoto's encephalopathy (steroid-responsive encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis)

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE), also known as steroid-responsive encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (SREAT), is a rare condition whose pathogenesis is unknown, though autoimmune-mediated mechanisms are thought to be involved. The prevalent neurological manifestations of this disorder are epileptic seizures and psychocognitive disorders associated with EEG alterations. High anti-thyroid antibody titers (particularly in cerebrospinal fluid) and the effectiveness of steroid therapy are usually considered to be crucial elements in the diagnostic process. We describe a 19-year-old female patient who had been referred to the psychiatric unit because of behavioral disorders characterized predominantly by delirium with sexual content. She developed recurrent focal seizures characterized by atypical ictal semiology (repetitive forceful yawning) and a rare EEG pattern (recurrent seizures arising from the left temporal region without evident "encephalopathic" activity). The presence of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies in her cerebrospinal fluid and a good response to steroids confirmed the diagnosis of HE. The atypical presentation in the case we describe appears to widen the electroclinical spectrum of HE and highlights its importance for differential diagnosis purposes in the neuropsychiatric setting. © 2011 Elsevier Inc