Lupus anticoagulant. Antiphospholipid syndrome.- Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Lupus anticoagulant( BA) is an immunoglobulin of the IgG class. Lupus anticoagulant is an antibody against phospholipids, blood enzymes. Lupus anticoagulant got its name due to the fact that it was first detected in the blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The physician may suspect the presence of lupus anticoagulant in the blood, if bleeding occurs when the activated partial thromboplastin time( APTT) is prolonged, which is characteristic of a deceleration of blood coagulability, there is a risk of thrombosis.

The norm of lupous anticoagulant in the blood: 0,8-1,2 conv.units

Lupus anticoagulant and other antibodies to phospholipids - one of the main signs of the development of antiphospholipid syndrome( APS).

Lupus anticoagulants, increasing in the amount in a person's blood, attach to the walls of blood vessels, platelets, enter into blood coagulation reactions, provoking the development of thrombosis.

Antiphospholipid syndrome may manifest itself differently depending on the size of the thrombus, degree of vessel damage, location, rate of blockage of the vessel. The most frequent symptom of an antiphospholipid syndrome is the reticular livedo - a thin mesh of vessels on the surface of the skin, which becomes better visible in the cold. Symptom can be even ulcers and necrosis of areas of the skin of the fingers or toes.

A small vascular lesion with AFS will cause mild organ dysfunction, a great defeat causes chronic organ diseases( cirrhosis, Alzheimer's disease).Blockage of the blood vessel with a thrombus will cause pulmonary thromboembolism. Antiphospholipid syndrome is one of the main causes of myocardial infarction in young people under 40 years old.

An increase in the level of lupous anticoagulant in the blood can be a sign of the following diseases:

autoimmune diseases
systemic lupus erythematosus
infertility
AIDS
thromboembolism
ischemic disorders of cerebral circulation.

In pregnant women, an increase in lupus anticoagulant in the blood can trigger the development of thrombosis of the arteries of the placenta, which can cause fetal death, miscarriage and premature birth.

Lupus anticoagulant in the blood can increase as a complication of drug therapy and as a result of taking some medications.

The definition of lupus anticoagulant does not provide sufficient evidence for a doctor to make a diagnosis. The level of IA can vary under the influence of various factors. Detection of a large number of lupous anticoagulants in the blood will indicate the need for additional examination.