Possible episodes that trigger thrombotic events in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome

Abstract The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies and/or lupus anticoagulant (LA) increase the risk of thrombosis, while the onset of thrombosis is usually sudden. The objective of this study was to determine whether or not some episodes triggered thrombotic events in patients possessing antiphospholipid antibodies. Fifteen patients who presented with thrombosis (primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), six cases; secondary APS, nine cases) were retrospectively examined to discover whether or not any specific episodes occurred prior to a total of 21 thrombotic events. In five events occurring in five female patients, specific episodes were identified, including the wearing of tight underwear, dehydration due to fever and standing in hot and humid weather, fever following the extraction of a carious tooth, steroid pulse therapy, toxemia during pregnancy, and intrauterine fetal death. To prevent the occurrence of thrombosis in patients possessing antiphospholipid antibodies, it appears to be important to avoid such triggering episodes and also to reduce the risk factors for thrombosis.