[Presence of lupus-type anticoagulant, in systemic lupus erythematosus and other clinical entities].

The frequency of "Lupus anticoagulant" (LA), was studied in 51 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 15 patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and 3 other patients with prolonged partial thromboplastin time (PTT), two of which had suffered episodes of CVA, and the other had a diagnosis of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria. Lupus anticoagulant was determined in each patient by the plasma recalcification time and the Russell's viper venom clotting time. Eight patients with SLE, (15.6%) 6 with chronic ITP (40%) and the three patients with prolonged PTT were positive for LA. All patients with LA were female, whose ages ranged from 19 to 59 years, and all except two patients were under steroid therapy. Thrombocytopenia was the most frequent manifestation in the patients with LA, followed by recurrent fetal death and thrombosis. Only the patients with ITP had hemorrhagic complications and one of them also had CVA in one occasion. The immunosupressory therapy may have played a role in diminishing the frequency of LA in the patients studied.