title: Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome presenting as fever of unknown origin.
abstract: Antiphospholipid syndrome is characterized by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies with characteristic clinical manifestation, which include venous, arterial thrombosis, thrombotic microangiopathy, and recurrent fetal loss. The syndrome can be secondary to many causes including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or "primary" antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS). We report a case of a man with catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS), which occurs when three or more organ systems are affected by thrombosis in less than a week. Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome is uncommon but often fatal. The patient received a successful treatment that controlled this disease and included intravenous heparin, antiplatelet, intravenous corticosteroid, and plasmapheresis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. F_e_b@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Fatma I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Al-Beladi
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D002388:Catastrophic Illness; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005335:Fever of Unknown Origin / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000209:etiology; D010956:Plasmapheresis; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors