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Andra T.: Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Its Thrombotic Risks

AI generated

Nov 8, 2026, 14:55

Andra T.: Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Its Thrombotic Risks

Andra T., Intelligence Liaison Officer at JMED MCM CBRN, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)

A stroke at 40, a clot with no obvious reason, repeated pregnancy loss: they can share one cause.

Antiphospholipid syndrome affects about 2 new people per 100,000 each year, and about 1 in 2,000 people live with it. Antibodies against phospholipid-binding proteins make the blood clot too easily, in veins, arteries and the placenta.

Who it affects: mostly women, with a mean age of about 42 at diagnosis. About half have primary APS; others also have lupus. Between 1 and 5 percent of healthy people carry the antibodies without ever developing the syndrome.

What patients describe:

A swollen, painful leg from deep vein thrombosis
Sudden breathlessness or chest pain from a clot in the lungs
A stroke or mini-stroke at a young age, migraine or memory problems
Recurrent miscarriage, stillbirth or early severe pre-eclampsia
A lacy, purple, net-like pattern on the skin (livedo) and leg ulcers
Low platelets and easy bruising

The serious side: clots tend to come back, so many people need long-term anticoagulation, usually warfarin. Fewer than 1 percent develop catastrophic APS, with clots in many organs within days, which can be fatal. In the large Euro-Phospholipid cohort, 9.3 percent of patients died over 10 years.

How it is diagnosed: blood tests for lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies. They must be positive twice, at least 12 weeks apart, together with a clot or a pregnancy complication.

Why it matters: testing after an unexplained stroke under 50, or after repeated pregnancy loss, changes treatment. With low-dose aspirin and heparin, most women with APS can have a successful pregnancy.

This is post 6 of 10 in my series on rare autoimmune diseases, ranked by incidence. Figures vary between studies and regions. This post is for awareness, not medical advice.”

Andra T.: Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Its Thrombotic Risks