Incidence of antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance

The incidence of antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) was studied. Antiphospholipid antibodies were measured in the sera of 93 patients (49 women, 44 men; mean age 70 [+/- 21] years) with MGUS by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The phospholipids tested were cardiolipin (CL), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Positive results were defined as a value higher than the number of multiples of the mean per phospholipid, which included 76 of 80 (95%; 20 age-matched) control individuals. The immunoglobulin-G (IgG) or IgM antiphospholipid antibodies isotype varied among the patients, as did the phospholipid specificity. For IgG, PI was found elevated in 32% of the MGUS samples, whereas the other phospholipid antigens ranged from 9% to 15%. The percentage of patients with IgM antiphospholipid antibodies was higher. The authors observed PS, PI, PA, and PC as positive in 45%, 35%, 25%, and 25% of patients, respectively. Of the 12 sera studied for IgA isotype, three (25%) were positive for PS, six (50%) for CL, and none for PE. Patients with MGUS manifested a significantly higher (P < .01) incidence of antiphospholipid antibodies in their blood than did the control persons. No difference in the incidence of antiphospholipid antibodies was seen between younger and older (age-matched) control patients. No correlation was found between serum levels of immunoglobulins and optical density reading of the blank plates used as ELISA controls.