Anticardiolipin and anti‐β2 glycoprotein I antibodies in sera of 61 apparently healthy children at regular preventive visits

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Abstract
Objectives. To determine anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti‐β2 glycoprotein I antibodies (anti‐β2GPI) in apparently healthy children and express the cut‐off levels in concentrations of monoclonal antibodies, and to compare the mean values and frequencies of aCL and anti‐β2GPI in children with those in blood donors. Methods. Blood samples were collected from 29 preschool children and 32 adolescents during their routine preventive follow‐up visits. The control group consisted of 52 blood donors. aCL and anti‐β2GPI were assayed by an ELISA method. Two monoclonal β2GPI‐dependent aCL (HCAL and EY2C9) were used as calibrators. Results. The estimated cut‐off values for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) aCL, expressed in concentrations of monoclonal antibodies and standardized international units (GPL/MPL units), were 13.9 ng/ml (7.6 GPL) and 33.1 ng/ml (3.3 MPL) for preschool children, 13.5 ng/ml (7.2 GPL) and 36.9 ng/ml (4.0 MPL) for adolescents, and 14.4 ng/ml (8.0 GPL) and 42.6 ng/ml (5.1 MPL) for blood donors. No statistically significant differences in the mean values for IgG and IgM aCL were found between the age groups. The mean value of IgA aCL was significantly higher in blood donors than in preschool children and adolescents (PPβ2GPI were 4.2 and 13.1 ng/ml respectively for preschool children, 3.2 and 13.1 ng/ml for adolescents, and 2.9 and 20.5 ng/ml for blood donors. The mean value for IgG anti‐β2GPI was found to be higher in preschool children than in adolescents and blood donors (PPβ2GPI were higher in blood donors than in preschool children (IgM, PPPPβ2GPI (two for IgG and two for IgA). Conclusions. This is the first report in which the cut‐off values for aCL and anti‐β2GPI in children are expressed in concentrations of monoclonal antibodies. Low titres of aCL, which were identified frequently in apparently healthy children, were hypothesized to be the result of previous infections. The high mean value of IgG anti‐β2GPI observed in preschool children was an unexpected result of the study and might indicate a default response to nutritional exposure to β2GPI in this age group.

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