What Can the Antiphospholipid Syndrome Teach Us About HDL?

Low paraoxonase activity in women with APS correlated with dysfunctional HDL and arterial abnormalities.

Women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), an autoimmune disorder characterized by elevated levels of circulating antiphospholipid antibodies, are at high risk for both thrombosis and substantial morbidity during pregnancy. Findings from small studies have suggested that endothelial dysfunction and increased carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) are associated with APS, yet the mechanisms of such associations are unclear. These investigators measured CIMT, flow-mediated dilatation, pulse wave velocity, and the activity of paraoxonase — an antiatherogenic enzyme linked to HDL — in 77 women with APS from a lupus outpatient clinic in London and 77 controls without APS matched for age and cardiovascular risk factors.

Compared with controls, wom…

Reviewing Author

JoAnne M. Foody, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardAegerion; Amarin; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Janssen; Merck; Pfizer; Sanofi-Aventis; Boehringer Ingelheim

Leadership positions in professional societiesAmerican College of Cardiology, Cardiosmart (Co-chair)

JoAnne M. Foody, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardAegerion; Amarin; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Janssen; Merck; Pfizer; Sanofi-Aventis; Boehringer Ingelheim

Leadership positions in professional societiesAmerican College of Cardiology, Cardiosmart (Co-chair)

What Can the Antiphospholipid Syndrome Teach Us About HDL?

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Reviewing Author