Antiphospholipid syndrome: A clinical analysis of 57 patients

Objective To improve the diagnosis and treatment of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) by analyzing its clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment. Methods Clinical and immunological features of 57 APS patients admitted to our hospital from 2004 to 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Of the 57 APS patients, 14 (24.6%) were males and 43 (75.4%) were females with an average age of (37±14) years, 21 (36.8%) were diagnosed with primary APS and 36 (63.2%) were diagnosed with secondary APS. The incidence of thrombosis was 71.9% and its recurrence rate was 41.5%. The recurrence rate of thrombosis was higher in primary APS patients than in secondary APS patients (P< 0.05). The incidence of abnormal pregnancy was 63.3%. The anticardiolipin antibodies (ACL) and anti-β₂ glycoproteinⅠantibodies were positive in 65.4% and 71.9% APS patients, respectively. The incidence of thrombocytopenia was 42%. Before APS was diagnosed, 43.9%, 33.3% and 8.8% patients were misdiagnosed as thrombosis, autoimmune diseases and thrombocytopenia, respectively. Conclusion APS is mainly manifested as thrombosis and abnormal pregnancy with positive ACL and/or anti-β₂ glycoproteinⅠantibodies, and is thus frequently misdiagnosed.