What is Antiphospholipid Syndrome?
It is also known as Sticky Blood Syndrome or Hughes Syndrome after the Dr Hughes who has recently retired from the Lupus Clinic at St Thomas's Hospital, London. www.hughes-syndrome.org.
People with this syndrome have an increased tendancy towards developing Thrombosis. These are little clots that can form in blood vessels. It can affect the thin walled veins that take blood to the heart or thicker and more muscular arteries which push the blood away from the heart.
Patients with Antiphospholipid Syndrome carry a higher risk of miscarriage as the veins that feed the placenta can be affected by tiny clots. Quite often this is during mid-pregnancy.
What Causes Antiphospholipid Syndrome?
There are two main types of antiphospholipid syndrome:
- Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome. This is where a person develops this condition with no other illness.
- It can be Secondary Antiphosholipid Syndrome. This where it develops along other illnesses such autimmune diseases like Lupus for example.
The figures seem to be that between 40-50% of Lupus patients also have antiphospholipid antibodies.
What do I need to watch out for?
Some of the symptoms Associated with Antiphosholpid Syndrome are these:
- Headaches
- Memory Loss
- Thrombosis
- Miscarriage
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Heart Attack
- Giddy Spells
- Stroke
- Visual Disturbances