Coexistence of Fabry Disease and Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a common form of acquired thrombophilia associated with a high thrombotic risk. Fabry's disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in the alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) gene and presents with a wide range of clinical manifestations, including a high rate of thrombosis. Previously reported, 45% of FD patients were found to have antiphospholipid autoantibodies.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of FD in patients with APS.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective study. Data were collected from 41 APS patients at our outpatient clinic at Meir Medical Center in Israel. We utilized chemical and genetic analyses to identify FD among APS patients. Dried blood spot (DBS) was used to assess GLA activity in males, and mutational analysis of the GLA gene was performed by sequencing exons and their flanking regions in women.

RESULTS

Among 41 antiphospholipid patients, one male patient was diagnosed with FD. Gal variants were not detected in any of the tested female patients.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a low prevalence (2.4%) of FD in APS patients. Larger studies are needed to evaluate the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of routine FD screening in this population.