Antiphospholipid syndrome: beware of infarction

Antiphospholipid syndrome in practice is an increased tendency to form blood clots in both veins and arteries. Women may have permanent miscarriages.

Sometimes this syndrome is confused with lupus, but they are not necessarily present simultaneously. Antiphospholipid syndrome is an independent disease. Patients are often sick and lupus, but most patients do not show any signs of her or another autoimmune disease. Currently, the diseased are classified into those who have lupus manifested with the syndrome, and those who do not have it. However, the problem is not only antibodies against phospholipids, because 5% of non-patients with this disease have antibodies.

Homeostasis is the maintenance of the constancy of the environment, in particular, the environment of the body. Usually, blood clotting is maintained at a certain level by the body itself. If a person suffers from an "anti-phospholipid syndrome" disease, then subtle mechanisms are violated. However, the mechanisms of thrombosis to the end are not clear. There are only assumptions. One of them is a combination of phospholipids of cell membranes with plasma proteins, which causes "great attention" from the antibodies, since the product seems to be alien to the body, and therefore must be destroyed. The second hypothesis is that in patients the body produces antibodies against the factors involved in the regulation of blood clotting, namely, against prothrombin and certain specific proteins. Also blame for this and platelets, taken separately. Some think that the reaction of the inner walls of the vessel is to blame, which cause platelets and monocytes to stick to themselves and thus provoke thrombus formation, which sometimes causes myocardial infarction.

For women, and more often women younger than 40, the antiphospholipid syndrome is more characteristic. Symptoms of it are rather bright, only if it is manifested with lupus. Otherwise, the symptoms can be very vague. For example, permanent migraines, discoloration of skin areas, a reduced number of platelets in the blood.

How to accurately diagnose a syndrome? Using a special blood test, antibodies to phospholipids are detected. Sometimes these patients receive a plus in the Wasserman reaction. It's as if he's sick with syphilis. Therefore, the doctor needs to be careful in the diagnosis. Perhaps the patient does not have syphilis, but an antiphospholipid syndrome. The treatment of such patients was not always the same as now: there is an evolution of the methods of treatment. At present, it is aimed at preventing the blood from curdling, that is, preparations are being prescribed against coagulation. After all, in this state, blood clots are especially dangerous. Therefore, patients receive zookoumarin and heparin, although their commercial names may differ in different states. But these are very strong anticoagulants. Sometimes prescribe a softer in action aspirin, the dose at the same time is selected small. Against antibodies, prednisone is prescribed, which also helps reduce inflammation and protects the patient from attacking antibodies against cell membranes. Lidroxychloroquine is good for those who have lupus. Gamma globulin is prescribed as a pregnancy to protect the baby. However, it is known from recent studies that the combination of heparin with aspirin is a more effective scheme.

Thus, the consequences of this autoimmune disease can affect any human body. Antibodies destroy cell membranes. Factors of blood coagulation do not work properly - and thrombi result. In each case, a unique scheme is chosen to remove symptoms. If your skin began to change color, because of miscarriages, you can not endure a pregnancy or suddenly at a young age you survived a heart attack - see a rheumatologist.