Circulating lupus type anticoagulant and pulmonary hypertension associated with mixed connective tissue disease

We report the case of a young woman, with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), associated with disabling pulmonary hypertension and presence of the "lupus anticoagulant". The "lupus anticoagulant", an antibody directed against phospholipid components, was linked in our patient to extensive thrombophlebitis and premature labor. Raynaud's phenomenon progressed towards finger necrosis in spite of optimal vasodilating treatment. The part played by the "lupus anticoagulant" in pulmonary hypertension remains to be established. Both these complications responded to prednisolone therapy, but the improvement was limited and short-lived.