Fariha Saleem.
Antiphospholipid Syndrome – Pathogenesis.
J Rawal Med Coll Jan ;18(2):312-5.

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired autoimmune condition characterized by arterial and venous thrombosis, gestational morbidity and presence of elevated and persistently positive serum titers of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL).1 In APS, venous thrombosis most commonly manifests as deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), however any part of the venous vasculature may be involved. Cerebral vasculature is the most common site of arterial thrombosis in APS, manifesting as cerebral ischemia or stroke. Myocardial infarction is a less common presentation. Microvascular thrombosis is the least common variety of thrombosis but it can be seen in catastrophic APS (CAPS), which is a potentially lethal condition characterized by widespread microvascular thrombosis that leads to multiple organ failure.2 Diagnosis APS requires at least one of the clinical criteria and one of the laboratory criteria to be present (Table 1).

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