![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Antibody.svg/640px-Antibody.svg.png&w=640&q=50)
Anti-cardiolipin antibodies
Type of autoantibody / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anti-cardiolipin antibodies (ACA) are antibodies often directed against cardiolipin and found in several diseases, including syphilis,[1] antiphospholipid syndrome, livedoid vasculitis, vertebrobasilar insufficiency, Behçet's syndrome,[2] idiopathic spontaneous abortion,[3] and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).[4] They are a form of anti-mitochondrial antibody. In SLE, anti-DNA antibodies and anti-cardiolipin antibodies may be present individually or together; the two types of antibodies act independently.[5] This is in contrast to rheumatoid arthritis[6] with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)[7] because anti-cardiolipin antibodies are present in both conditions, and therefore may tie the two conditions together.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Antibody.svg/127px-Antibody.svg.png)
Anti-cardiolipin antibodies can be classified in two ways:
- As IgM, IgG or IgA
- As β2-glycoprotein dependent or independent
- In autoimmune disease, ACA are beta-2 glycoprotein dependent
- In syphilis, ACA[1] are beta-2 glycoprotein independent and can be assayed using the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test