Anticardiolipin antibodies in stroke patients in Sudan. Appraisal of their significance in a region of high burden of endemic infections.

Objective: To screen and evaluate the significance of anticardiolipin seroprevalence in patients with acute ischemic stroke, in patients with infectious disease, and in healthy subjects resident in Sudan, a tropical country endemic for several infectious diseases.

Methods: We conducted the study in Khartoum Teaching Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan between July 2003 and January 2005. We included 89 stroke cases, 30 infectious disease patients, and 30 asymptomatic healthy subjects.