A case report of a pregnancy-related death caused by primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome

Primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is a rare clinical event in the People’s Republic of China. As APS is easily neglected or misdiagnosed, a delayed treatment can result. The patient reported here was a 32-year-old female who died by systemic venous thrombosis on day 11 after a cesarean section delivery. Luckily, the baby survived. A blood test demonstrated that the patient’s platelets were decreased at 19 weeks of gestation. Anti-cardolipin antibody and antiβ2GP1 (anti-β2-glycoprotein-I antibody) were positive at 36 weeks and 2 days of gestation. This patient was diagnosed with APS. Unfortunately, as physicians, we could not provide proper treatment as the patient’s relatives were concerned that the proposed treatment would have negative effects on the infant’s health. This clinical case strongly suggests that physicians need to appreciate that APS is a very serious condition, especially for pregnant women, and that proper treatment should be provided as early as possible to avoid a bad outcome, despite the fact that a cure for this disease is not currently available.