Celiac disease associated with antiphospholipid syndrome

INTRODUCTION: celiac disease may be associated with pathologies of immune etiology. We present its association with antiphospholipid syndrome. CASE 1: a 26-year-old female was diagnosed with celiac disease. Six months later she became pregnant, and experienced fetal death. The following year she became pregnant again. IgG anticardiolipin antibodies: 20 GPL U/ml (normal value < 11), and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies: 9 MPL U/ml (n. v. < 10). Hematological tests were otherwise uneventful. Medicated with acetylsalicylic acid she had a normal pregnancy. CASE 2: a 48-year-old female diagnosed with celiac disease presented with thrombosis in her left lower limb and renal infarction. Hematological tests showed no prothrombotic alterations (antiphospholipid antibodies were not measured). A year and a half later she had thrombosis in a finger of her hand. IgG anticardiolipin antibodies: 10 GPL (n. v. < 13), and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies: 35 MPL (n. v. < 12). CASE 3: a 38-year-old female was diagnosed with celiac disease. Some time later she experienced two spontaneous abortions and a transient ischemic cerebral attack. Nowadays, she is in her sixth month of pregnancy. IgM anticardiolipin antibodies: 75 MPL/ml (n. v. up to 20), and IgG anticardiolipin antibodies within normal values. Hematological tests revealed no other prothrombotic alterations. DISCUSSION: antiphospholipid syndrome is characterized by arterial and venous thrombosis, and spontaneous fetal death. Its association with celiac disease has been described in few cases. Celiac disease is associated with spontaneous fetal death; consequently, we hypothesize that antiphospholipid syndrome may be one of the causes for this event.