Correlation between Osteoprotegerin Levels and Antiphospholipid Syndrome Parameters

Objective: To identify the osteoprotegerin (OPG) correlates with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) parameters. Methods: Our cohort included 40 patients with primary APS disease associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (mean age, 43.7 years; 87% female). Data on cardiovascular risk factors and specific clinical events in APS were collected. Then we tested OPG and 10 criteria and noncriteria antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) on preserved specimens in all cases. Results: A total of 26 patients (65%) had high serum OPG levels. Patients with high OPG were mostly overweight. In patients with SLE, the OPG levels were associated with anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) and anti-Sm titers. However, we did not find significant correlations of the OPG with any of the 10 aPLs tested. Also, we found no relationship regarding venous APS events. Conclusion: In APS, high OPG levels are not linked to serum aPL expression.