Anticardiolipin antibodies predict early recurrence of thromboembolism and death among patients with venous thromboembolism following anticoagulant therapy. Duration of Anticoagulation Study Group.

PURPOSE: To compare the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism in patients with and without antiphospholipid antibodies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Anticardiolipin antibodies were tested 6 months after a first or second episode of venous thromboembolism. Of the patients with a first episode of venous thromboembolism only the 412 who received 6 months of anticoagulation were studied. Two hundred and eleven patients with a second episode received …