132 The Antiphospholipid Syndrome Flashcards
A disorder in which vascular thrombosis and/or pregnancy complications attributable to placental insufficiency occur in patients with laboratory evidence for antibodies directed against proteins that bind to phospholipids
Antiphospholipid (aPL) antibody syndrome (APS)
Percentage with venous thrombosis
10%
Percentage with three unexplained fetal losses before 12 weeks of gestation or at least one intrauterine fetal death after 12 weeks of gestation
20%
Infection with propensity to develop aPL antibodies
Syphilis
aPL antibodies may also be detected through coagulation tests, collectively termed
Lupus anticoagulant (LA) tests
Medications that may also develop clinically inconsequential antibodies against phospholipids
Chlorpromazine or procainamide
Sydney Investigational Criteria for Diagnosis of APS
Clinical Criteria
“Definite APS” is considered to be present if at least one of the clinical criteria and one of the laboratory criteria are met.
- Vascular thrombosis (one or more episodes of arterial, venous, or small-vessel thrombosis). For histopathologic diagnosis, there should not be evidence of inflammation in the vessel wall.
-
Pregnancy morbidities attributable to placental insufficiency, including three or more otherwise unexplained recurrent spontaneous miscarriages, before 10 weeks of gestation.
Also, one or more fetal losses after the 10th week of gestation, stillbirth, episode of preeclampsia, preterm labor, placental abruption, intrauterine growth restriction, or oligohydramnios that are otherwise unexplained.
Sydney Investigational Criteria for Diagnosis of APS
Laboratory Criteria
“Definite APS” is considered to be present if at least one of the clinical criteria and one of the laboratory criteria are met.
- aCL or anti–β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2GPI) immunoglobulin (Ig) G and/or IgM antibody present in medium or high titer on two or more occasions, at least 12 weeks apart, measured by standard ELISAs
- LA in plasma, on two or more occasions, at least 12 weeks apart detected according to the guidelines of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Scientific Standardisation Committee on Lupus Anticoagulants and Phospholipid- Dependent Antibodies
Intriguing evidence points to the possibility that _____ mechanisms may play a significant role in triggering the formation of aPL autoantibodies in susceptible individuals.
Molecular mimicry
It has been established that human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ___ and ____ are associated with predisposition to developing APS and with positive tests for LA and aCLs.
HLA DR4 and DRw53
aPL autoantibodies recognize phospholipid-binding proteins, primarily
β2GPI (also named apolipoprotein H)
IgG antibodies against an epitope comprising Gly40-Arg43 in the domain I of β2GPI have been reported to have a stronger correlation with thrombosis than antibodies against other epitopes.
Proposed Pathogenic Mechanisms for
Antiphospholipid Syndrome
- I. Formation of APS macroimmmune complexes
- II. Disruption of endothelial surface and annexin A5 anticoagulant shield
- III. Enhanced cell signaling
- IV. Complement-mediated injury
- V. Impeding of fibrinolysis and endogenous anticoagulation
- IV. Complement-mediated injury
- V. Impeding of fibrinolysis and endogenous anticoagulation
- VI Others
Forms 2- dimensional crystals over the phospholipid bilayers that shield them from binding coagulation factors
Annexin A5
Annexin A5 is a potent anticoagulant protein with high affinity for phospholipid membranes that contain anionic phospholipids, specifically phosphatidylserine.
May play a thrombomodulatory role on the surfaces of cells lining the placental and systemic vasculatures
aPL antibody–antigen complexes disrupt the crystallization of annexin A5 and displace the protein from phospholipid membrane surfaces.
The Ig____ subtype of aPL most closely correlates with thrombosis.
IgG2
The clinical symptoms of APS can be categorized into
- “Criteria manifestations”
- “Noncriteria manifestations”
CRITERIA CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS
- Venous thromboembolism
- Arterial thromboembolism
- Small-vessel thrombosis or thrombotic microangiopathy
- Pregnancy complications attributable to placental insufficiency, including:
- Three or more unexplained spontaneous pregnancy losses at ess than 10 weeks’ gestation
- One or more fetal losses after 10 weeks’ gestation
- Stillbirth
- Intrauterine growth restriction
- Preeclampsia
- Preterm labor
- Placental abruption
- Oligohydramnios
NONCRITERIA CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS
- Thrombocytopenia
- Bleeding caused by hypoprothrombinemia, acquired platelet function abnormality, acquired inhibitor to specific coagulation factor (eg, factor VIII), acquired von Willebrand syndrome
- Livedo reticularis, necrotizing skin vasculitis
- Coronary artery disease
- Valvular heart disease
- Kidney disease
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease
- Nonthrombotic retinal disease
- Adrenal failure, hemorrhagic adrenal infarction
- Esophageal necrosis, gallbladder necrosis, gastric and colonic ulceration
Most common clinical thrombotic manifestation
- Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the lower extremity (48%)
- Pulmonary embolism (38%)
- Stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) (35%)
Percentage of Systemic Vascular Thrombosis
Venous:
Arterial:
Both:
Venous: 60%
Arterial: 30%
Both: 10%
The usual age at presentation with thrombosis is approximately
35–45 years
TRUE OR FALSE
Like for patients with SLE,women are more susceptible to thrombotic manifestations than men.
FALSE
Except for patients with SLE, men and women are equally susceptible to thrombotic manifestations.
No differences have been observed between the arterial and venous distributions of thromboses of primary and patients with secondary APS.
TRUE OR FALSE
APS should be suspected in young patients with TIAs or stroke, particularly when the more typical risk factors for cerebrovascular disease are absent.
TRUE
APS should be suspected in young patients with TIAs or stroke, particularly when the more typical risk factors for cerebrovascular disease are absent.
Cerebral venous thrombosis in APS presents at a younger age and is more extensive than in non-APS patients with the disorder.
About ___% of patients with APS have concurrent genetic thrombophilic conditions such as the factor V Leiden variant and prothrombin gene mutation.
16%
Both the factor V Leiden variant and prothrombin gene mutation have not be shown to increase the thrombotic risk in patients with APS.
In approximately half of patients, the pregnancy losses occur in the ____ trimester
First trimester
Pregnant patients with APS are also more prone to develop DVT during pregnancy or the puerperium
TRUE OR FALSE
Histologic abnormalities were found in many, but not all, placentas of patients with aPL.
TRUE
Histologic abnormalities were found in many, but not all, placentas of patients with aPL.
Most common findings were placental infarction, impaired spiral artery remodeling, decidual inflammation, increased syncytial knots, decreased vasculosyncytial membranes, and the deposition of complement split product C4d
TRUE OR FALSE
Early reproductive failure (ie, infertility) is associated with APS.
FALSE
Early reproductive failure (ie, infertility) is not associated with APS.
The current consensus is that aPL antibodies are not a cause of infertility.
There is no evidence to screen patients with infertility for aPL antibodies.
Defined as the presence of valve morphologic lesions, including leaflet thickening, irregular nodules or nonbacterial vegetations (ie, Libman-Sacks endocarditis), or severe valve dysfunction (regurgitation, stenosis) in the absence of a history of rheumatic fever and infective endocarditis
APS with valvular heart disease
Approximately 65% of patients with APS have cardiac valvular abnormalities detected by echocardiography.
Neurologic condition
Approximately 40% to 60% of patients with _____ are positive for at least one aPL antibody positivity.
Multiple sclerosis
The presence of aPL antibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis may represent disease progression or a disease flare.
Treatment with ________________ has been associated with the development of aCL antibodies
Chlorpromazine
Cutaneous Manifestations: the most frequent histopathologic feature
Noninflammatory vascular thrombosis
The cutaneous manifestations of APS may compose the first signs of APS in some patients.
Livedo - reticularis is relatively common, occurring in 24% of a series of 1000 aPL patients,and occasionally presents in a necrosing form.
The most frequently affected abdominal organ in patients with APS
Liver
With occlusion of hepatic vessels, including those supplying the biliary tree
TRUE OR FALSE
Patients with ITP who are triple positive for aPL antibodies have also been shown to have lower platelet counts and are at risk for thrombosis with concurrent steroid therapies.
TRUE
Patients with ITP who are triple positive for aPL antibodies have also been shown to have lower platelet counts and are at risk for thrombosis with concurrent steroid therapies.
The decrease in platelet count is generally mild or moderate and is rarely significant enough to cause bleeding complications or affect anticoagulant therapy.
The majority of patients with APS and thrombocytopenia have antibodies directed against glycoproteins on the wall of platelets (GPIIb/IIIa, GPIb/IX, GPIa/IIa, and GPIV).