Antiphospholipid syndrome in medicine is understood as a violation in which the
immune system erroneously begins to produce antibodies directed against some normal blood proteins. This situation subsequently often provokes the formation of blood clots, as well as complications during pregnancy (miscarriage, birth of a dead fetus, etc.). In this article, we will talk about the main symptoms of this problem, and also consider what should be the treatment of antiphospholipid syndrome.
Main reasons
As noted above, with this syndrome, the immune system itself damages the proteins that bind phospholipids (these are fats that are in the blood and are very important for its normal coagulation). Currently, experts conditionally distinguish two types of this problem:
- Primary - caused by infections or certain diseases (for example, HIV, malaria, hepatitis C, etc.).
- The secondary type is usually observed in patients who have previously been diagnosed with any autoimmune ailments. So, in this case, the development of antiphospholipid syndrome can be caused by a primary autoimmune disorder.
Symptoms
Today, experts identify several characteristic signs of antiphospholipid syndrome. Below are just a few of them:
- the formation of blood clots in the veins of the legs;
- the birth of a dead fetus, frequent miscarriages or other complications during pregnancy;
- stroke;
- regular headaches, cramps;
- a rash on the skin in the form of a mesh;
- cardiovascular disease ;
- bleeding.
Antiphospholipid syndrome. Diagnostics
According to experts, such a violation can be suspected in patients under 45 years of age if they have already been diagnosed with a stroke or myocardial infarction. In this case, doctors strongly recommend that you undergo a full examination to confirm or, conversely, refute such a problem as antiphospholipid syndrome. Analyzes in this situation play not the last role. So, laboratory confirmation of the disease is the presence of antibodies to various kinds of phospholipids through the so-called immune-enzyme analysis.
What should be the treatment?
First of all, it is necessary to find out the primary disease, which directly led to the development of antiphospholipid syndrome. The effectiveness of this therapy is to reduce the number of antibodies to phospholipids. In addition, drugs responsible for reducing coagulation are prescribed
blood abilities (for example, antiplatelet agents), as well as antihistamines (reduce allergic mood). If in laboratory conditions an increased content of
antibodies in the blood was found
, as a result, there is a risk of acute thrombosis. In this kind of situation, plasmapheresis is most often prescribed. In women in a position with such a diagnosis, timely diagnosis and complete control over pregnancy are necessary. In order to avoid the development of complications, medications are prescribed in some cases.