RETINAL VASCULITIS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTICARDIOLIPIN ANTIBODIES

Anticardiolipin antibodies are a group of immunoglubulin binding cardiolipin and negatively charged phospholipid. The anicardiolipin antibodies and lupus like anticoagulant both belong to the heterogeneous group of antiphospholipid antibodies, that are the serological marker for the antiphospoholipid syndrome. This disease is a hypercoagulable disorder with highly variable symptomatology (including ocular manifestations) characterized by recurrent venous and arterial thrombosis, fetal loss, and thrombocytopenia. The most frequent ocular features associated with the presence of these antibodies are ocular vaso-occlusive disease involving the retinal and choroidal vessels, followed by neurophtalmologic findings and intraocular inflammation. We emphasize the importance to include anticardiolipin antibodies in the differential diagnosis of retinal vasculitis since ocular thrombosis can be the initial manifestation for further systemic more severe complications.