Neurological manifestations in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome

BACKGROUND: Anti-phospholipids syndrome (APS) is considered a non inflammatory auto-immune disease with a significant thrombophilic risk with varied clinical manifestations. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the frequency of thrombotic and non-thrombotic events in patients with APS. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 102 definite APS subjects were recruited (2007-2011) at Alzahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. The patients were referred to Multiple Sclerosis Clinic with the diagnosis of definite APS according to 2006 Sydney's criteria. Disorders associated with APS such as pregnancy complication, vascular thrombosis and livedo reticularis (LR) were assessed. Neurological signs and symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction were recorded. Data analyses were performed using SPSS software and P < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Our findings showed that majority of female gender, higher rate of ischemic thrombotic stroke and high miscarriage lied in a large number of APS patients. CONCLUSION: Overall recurrent miscarriage is a common complication among (antiphospholidpid antibody) aPL patients. Furthermore, ischemic stroke is the second common neurological manifestations of APS patients.