Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. A literature review

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) occurs as a primary or secondary syndrome and has various manifestations, including arterial and venous thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, fetal loss, livedo reticularis, and cardiac and neurological sequelae. APS is linked with autoantibodies that were originally thought to have specificity for negatively charged phospholipids. Recent data suggest specificity for different phospholipid-binding plasma proteins, including 2-glycoprotein I, prothrombin, protein C, and protein S. The most well-known antiphospholipid antibodies are lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibody. These antibodies are detected through lupus anticoagulant assays, anticardiolipin assays, and certain serologic tests for syphilis. This article describes 2 cases encountered in our clinical work and reviews the literature on APS.