Association of anti-β2-glycoprotein I/HLA-DR complex antibody with arterial thrombosis in female patients with systemic rheumatic diseases

Abstract

Abstract Background. β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) complexed with human leukocyte antigen DR (β2GPI/HLA-DR) was found to be a major autoantibody target in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). This study aimed to reveal the association between anti-β2GPⅠ/HLA-DR antibodies and vascular thromboses in women with systemic rheumatic diseases. Methods. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study. We measured anti-β2GPⅠ/HLA-DR antibodies and compared them with anti-phospholipid antibody (aPL) profiles and the adjusted global antiphospholipid syndrome score (aGAPSS). Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, we determined the best cut-off value for arterial thrombosis. We also evaluated the validity of anti-β2GPⅠ/HLA-DR antibodies by adding to conventional cardiovascular risk factors in multivariate logistic analysis. Results. We evaluated 704 patients, including 66 (obstetric or thrombotic) APS, 13 primary APS, and 78 asymptomatic aPL carriers. Seventy-seven patients had a history of arterial thrombosis, and 14 patients had both arterial and venous thrombosis. These 14 patients, as well as patients with aGAPSS > 10 or triple-positive aPL profiles, displayed high anti-β2GPⅠ/HLA-DR antibody titers. The ROC curve showed a sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) for arterial thrombosis of 33.8%, 91.4%, and 0.6009, respectively, with a cut-off value of 172.359 U/mL. The anti-β2GPⅠ/HLA-DR antibody positivity using this cut-off value yielded an odds ratio of 5.13 (95%CI: 2.85–9.24), significantly improving the AUC from 0.677 to 0.730. Conclusion. Anti-β2GPⅠ/HLA-DR antibodies are associated with arterial thrombosis in female patients with systemic rheumatic diseases.