A case of Waldenstroem's disease with a monoclonal IgM antiphospholipid antibody

2002

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) was described in 1983 as a clinical entity characterized by venous and arterial thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, and recurrent fetal loss. The serological markers of APS are antiphospholipid antibodies (APLA) directed mainly against anionic phospholipids, usually cardiolipin but also phosphatidylserine. Some APLA exhibit lupus anticoagulant activity. Monoclonal gammopathy sometimes occurs with the presence of autoantibodies. In this paper, we describe a patient with the diagnosis of immunocytoma with an IgM, kappa paraprotein with apparent specificity against anionic phospholipids, and lupus anticoagulant activity, but no clinical signs of APS. We describe i…