title: What is antiphospholipid syndrome?
abstract: The description of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is vascular thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity occurring in persons with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). However, because of an unclear etiopathogenesis and the heterogeneous nature of aPL and of aPL-related clinical manifestations, a single, unambiguous definition of APS does not exist. In this paper, we describe a structured approach to APS, discuss the controversies, and offer descriptions of APS that include: an autoimmune systemic disease with a spectrum of (mostly thrombotic) clinical manifestations, an overdiagnosed disease when aPL is present but has no proven direct causative role in the clinical manifestations, and a disease of controversies that requires clarification of etiology and mechanisms and risk-stratified controlled clinical studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatolopgy, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 E 70th Street, New York, NY 10021, USA. derkan@pol.net
authors.forename: Doruk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Erkan
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lockshin
mesh_terms: D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000235:genetics