Clinical Manifestations of the aPL Syndrome

The antiphospholipid syndrome may present itself to virtually all medical specialties. It can be as non-threatening as thrombophlebitis or mild thrombocytopenia or as severe as cerebral arterial infarct or the so called "catastrophic APS". In order to diagnose it properly, it is important to be aware of its clinical manifestations and laboratory peculiarities. The primary form of APS seems to be more common than the SLE related one. Because any artery or vein may be involved, the spectrum of clinical manifestations of APS is so wide that they include virtually all medical specialties.