title: Primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome presenting with encephalopathy, psychosis and seizures.
abstract: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by recurrent thrombotic events, miscarriages and thrombocytopenia with persistently positive antiphospholipid antibodies.( 1,2 ) APS may be isolated (primary APS) or associated to a connective tissue disease, most often systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).( 1,2 ) APS usually affects young patients before the fifth decade( 3 ) with stroke being the commonest neurological manifestation.( 4 ) Various other neurological manifestations are being recognized in patients with APS including migraine, epilepsy, multi-infarct dementia and chorea.( 2 ) The pathological process underlying the neurological manifestations remains obscure.( 1,2 ) Herein we report a case of primary APS presenting with a group of unusual neurological manifestations in a 68-year-old woman.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hospital de Santo António, Porto, Portugal. ricardotaipa@gmail.com
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taipa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid / Q000276:immunology; D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid