How common are antiphospholipid antibodies?
As with other autoantibodies (antibodies directed against one’s self) in lupus, the antiphospholipid antibodies can come and go in any individual patient. It turns out that there are many ways to measure these antibodies, and different methods may not always give the same result. For example, in different studies, 8 to 65 percent of people with lupus have the lupus anticoagulant, and 25 to 61 percent have anticardiolipin antibody. These antibodies can also be found in people who do not have lupus. For example, two percent of young women have anticardiolipin antibody. These antibodies were first discovered in people who have lupus, but it is not necessary to have lupus to have these antibodies. In fact, in most studies, over 50% of people with these antibodies do not have lupus. We do not understand why a person’s immune system begins to manufacture these antibodies.
