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The term “antiphospholipid syndrome”(APS) was introduced to describe patients presenting with a combination of recurrent arterial and venous throm-bosis, recurrent fetal losses, often accompanied by a mild-to-moderate thrombocytopenia, and elevations of the titers of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), namely the lupus anticoagulant (LA) and the anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL)(32, 34). First recognized in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), then later and less frequently in patients with other autoimmune disorders, it is now well known that this syndrome may develop independent of any underly-ing disease, in which case it is termed “primary" APS (5). Patients with primary APS are encountered as frequently as those suffering from underlying SLE.