Raynaud's phenomenon and antiphospholipid antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus: is there an association?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of IgG and IgM antibodies directed against different negatively charged phospholipids (that is, anticardiolipin (aCL), antiphosphatidylinositol, antiphosphatidylserine, and antiphosphatidic acid) and anti-beta(2)-glycoprotein I (abeta(2)GPI), with Raynaud's phenomenon in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS Ninety three patients with SLE (81 female), 40 with and 53 without Raynaud's phenomenon, were included in the study. IgG and IgM antiphospholipid antibodies and abeta(2)GPI were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS Fifty patients (54%) were positive for IgG and/or IgM antibodies to one or more phospholipid antigens or to beta(2)GPI. The prevalence of all autoantibodies evaluated, either IgG or IgM, was higher in patients without than in those with Raynaud's phenomenon. A negative association was found between IgG aCL and Raynaud's phenomenon (p=0.038), whereas autoantibodies other than aCL were not significantly associated with Raynaud's phenomenon. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate no positive association between antiphospholipid antibodies and Raynaud's phenomenon in SLE and indicate that measurement of anti-negatively charged phospholipid antibodies other than aCL is not useful as a serological marker predictive for Raynaud's phenomenon.