Clinical Specialties

The GW Medical Faculty Associates is an elite, academic medical team delivering care through 51 medical and surgical specialties. 

Clinical Specialties
Click Here to make an online appointment
MFA - The NewsWire
Antiphospholipid Syndrome

DEFINITION

Antiphospholipid syndrome is a condition which causes a tendency for the blood to clot in both the arteries and veins. The body normally produces blood clots in order to keep you from bleeding when you sustain an injury. The body keeps a careful balance between keeping the blood neither too thick (with a tendency to clot) or too thin (with a tendency to bleed). In antiphospholipid syndrome, the body makes antibodies (which are normally produced to fight infection) but misdirects them toward certain proteins in the blood, called phospholipids. Phospholipids are a part of the surface of your cells which help the body clot when it has been injured. When the antibodies attack these phospholipids, they can gather together and cause the body to clot. Blood clots can occur almost anywhere in the body. In the legs, a blood clot is called deep venous thrombosis (DVT). A blood clot in the lungs is called a pulmonary embolism. Small blood clots even go to the heart or brain causing a heart attack or stroke, respectively. Some of these clots can be life-threatening. These two types of antiphospholipid syndrome are primary (if you don’t have another autoimmune disease like lupus) and secondary (if it comes from having another disease like lupus). No cure exists for antiphospholipid syndrome. However, medications exist which can decrease the risk of clot. Things that put you at risk of antiphospholipid syndrome include having infections (like HIV, Hepatitis C or malaria), taking certain medications, having other autoimmune disorders, being a woman, and having family members with antiphospholipid syndrome. Certain conditions may exacerbate your risk of developing clots like being pregnant, having surgery, smoking, being immobile for an extended period of time, having high blood pressure, taking oral contraceptives, or having high cholesterol.

SYMPTOMS
Clots anywhere in the body, repeated blood clots, miscarriage

DIAGNOSIS
Your doctor will take a history and perform a physical exam. If you are a person who has repeated blood clots, your doctor will want to do a series of tests to determine the cause of your clots. The tests will likely include a complete blood count, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and other more specific tests for the cause of your clots. Your doctor will need to check your blood twice 12 weeks apart to determine with certainty that you have antiphospholipid syndrome. If you have a clot or swelling, your doctor may do a variety of tests including ultrasound or CT scan to look at your blood vessels for clot.

TREATMENT
If you have blood clots due to antiphospholipid syndrome, your doctor will likely recommend lifelong thinning of your blood to prevent further clots. Thinning of your blood is done with medications like aspirin or warfarin (Coumadin). If you are on warfarin, you will need to have your blood level checked at least monthly. If you have a blood clot, you may need short term treatment with heparin through an IV or with low molecular weight heparin (like enoxaparin or Lovenox) injected into the muscle until the warfarin reaches an appropriate level to thin the blood. If you are pregnant, you cannot be on wafarin, so you will need injections under the skin with a medication to thin the blood like enoxaparin (Lovenox) or dalteparin (Fragmin).

MORE CONDITIONS:

ABOUT SSL CERTIFICATES