Under antiphospholipid syndrome in medicine refers to a disorder in which the immune system mistakenly produces antibodies directed against certain normal blood proteins.This situation then often triggers the formation of blood clots and complications during pregnancy (miscarriage, stillbirth, etc.).In this article we will talk about the main symptoms of this problem and also look at what should be the treatment of antiphospholipid syndrome.
As mentioned above, in this syndrome itself affects the immune system proteins that bind phospholipids (fats that are available in the blood is extremely important for its normal clotting).At the moment, experts conditionally are two types of problems:
- Primary - cause infections or certain diseases (eg, HIV, malaria, hepatitis C, etc.).
- secondary type is usually seen in patients who have been previously diagnosed with any autoimmune diseases.Thus, in this case, the development of antiphospholipid syndrome can be caused by primary autoimmune disorder.
Today experts have identified a number of characteristic features of antiphospholipid syndrome.Here are just a few of them:
- formation of blood clots in the veins of the legs;
- stillbirths, miscarriages or other frequent complications of pregnancy;
- regular headaches, convulsions;
- rash on the skin in the form of a grid;
- cardiovascular disease;
According to experts, such a violation can be suspected in patients up to 45 years if they have been diagnosed with a stroke or myocardial infarction.In this case, doctors strongly recommend a complete examination to confirm or, conversely, to refute such a problem as antiphospholipid syndrome.Analyses in this situation play a significant role.Thus, laboratory confirmation of the disease is the presence of antibodies to various phospholipids through the so-called enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
What should be treated?
The first priority should be to find a disease that directly led to the development of antiphospholipid syndrome.The efficacy of this therapy is to decrease the amount of antibodies to phospholipids.In addition, prescribed drugs, responsible for the reduction of blood clotting (eg, antiplatelet agents), as well as antihistamine medication (reduce allergic disposition).If in vitro was observed an increased blood levels of antibody, as a result, there is a risk of acute thrombosis.In this kind of situation often assigned plasmapheresis.The women in the state with such a diagnosis requires timely diagnosis and complete control over the pregnancy.To avoid complications in some cases is used for pharmaceuticals.