IgA antibodies against β2 glycoprotein I in hemodialysis patients are an independent risk factor for mortality

Cardiovascular complications are the most important cause of death in patients on dialysis with end-stage renal disease. Antibodies reacting with β-glycoprotein I seem to play a pathogenic role in antiphospholipid syndrome and stroke and are involved in the origin of atherosclerosis. Here we evaluated the presence of anticardiolipin and anti-β-glycoprotein I antibodies together with other vascular risk factors and their relationship with mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in a cohort of 124 hemodialysis patients prospectively followed for 2 years. Of these, 41 patients were significantly positive for IgA anti-β-glycoprotein I, and the remaining had normal values. At 24 months, overall and cardiovascular mortality and thrombotic events were all significantly higher in patients with high anti-β-glycoprotein I antibodies. Multivariate analysis using Cox regression modeling found that age, hypoalbuminemia, use of dialysis catheters, and IgA β-glycoprotein I antibodies were independent risk factors for death. Thus, IgA antibodies to β-glycoprotein I are detrimental to the clinical outcome of hemodialysis patients.