Loading...
Lifelong anticoagulation is often advised for patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs) and venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, because APAs are heterogeneous (they include antibodies against cardiolipin, beta-2-glycoprotein-1, and the lupus anticoagulant), the risk for VTE recurrence might vary by antibody type and persistence.
To examine that possibility, investigators conducted a prospective, blinded study of 307 patients with unprovoked VTE who had received anticoagulants for 3 to 7 months. Analyses for APA and d-dimer were performed at enrollment, at 1 month, and at 7 months. Anticoagulants were discontinued in all 290 patients with a negative d-dimer test.
APAs were present in 26.1% of patients on one or more occasions. The ra…