Frequency of anticardiolipin, antinuclear and anti-β2 glycoprotein I antibodies in children with epilepsy

A high prevalence of epilepsies in specific immunological diseases suggests that the immune system may play a role in the pathogenesis of epilepsy or might be associated with it. In this study the frequency of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-beta 2-glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-beta 2-GPI) in 40 children with epilepsy and in 38 healthy subjects was determined. Positive aCL was found in 3 patients, and anti-beta 2-GPI in 1 patient. In control group they were negative. ANA antibodies were negative in both groups. Duration of epilepsy <1 year was observed in all three patients with positive aCL. No statistically significant difference was found concerning the presence of these antibodies between patients and controls. There was no statistically significant correlation of age, sex, age at the onset of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, type of epilepsy, seizure frequency or specific antiepileptic medications with the presence of any measured antibodies.