What is antiphospholipid syndrome all about?

  Antiphospholipid syndrome is a non-inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by recurrent arterial or venous thrombotic events, spontaneous miscarriage, and thrombocytopenia with moderate or high positivity for antiphospholipid antibodies (APL).APS can occur secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus or other autoimmune diseases, but can also occur alone (primary APS). The incidence of primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is unknown. The incidence of APS is significantly higher in women than in men, and there is no clear familial predisposition to APS, but antiphospholipid antibody tests are often positive in relatives of patients with APS. The exact etiology is not yet known.  In a woman with recurrent miscarriages, the possibility of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome should be considered when obstetrical and gynecological examinations have repeatedly failed to find the cause, which is neither endocrine changes nor organ function abnormalities. The main clinical manifestations of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome are recurrent intravascular thrombosis, spontaneous abortion and thrombocytopenia, accompanied by positive laboratory tests for anticoagulation factors and antiphospholipid antibodies. The causes of its occurrence are not very clear yet, and may be related to the following factors: as we know, the vascular endothelium is composed of phospholipids, and if antiphospholipid antibodies appear in the body, they can bind with phospholipids on the vascular wall, destroying the endothelium and forming thrombi, resulting in impaired blood supply to local tissues, and if it occurs in the uterus, it can affect the blood supply to the placenta and cause miscarriage.  Some of the patients with lupus erythematosus are positive for antiphospholipid antibodies, with an incidence of 10%-15%. However, positive antiphospholipid antibodies do not mean that the syndrome is present. Clinical manifestations of thrombosis and habitual miscarriage must be present before the disease can be considered. Other patients with lupus erythematosus have thrombocytopenia, stroke, myocardial infarction, blindness, etc., which may be related to this disease.  In conclusion, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is a more dangerous disease, mostly seen in SLE, and should be taken seriously by patients and doctors.