[Antiphospholipid syndrome in neurology].

[sneddon syndrome]

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS ) is an autoimmune disease with recurrent thromboses and pregnancy complications (90 % are female patients ) that can be primary and secondary (with concomitant autoimmune disease ). Antiphospholipid antibodies are prothrombotic but also act directly with brain tissue . One clinical and one laboratory criterion is necessary for the diagnosis of APS . Positive serological tests have to be confirmed after at least 12 weeks . Clinical picture consists of thromboses in many organs and spontaneous miscarriages , sometimes thrombocytopaenia and haemolytic anaemia , but neurological cases are the most frequent : headaches , stroke , encephalopathy , seizures , visual disturbances , Sneddon syndrome , dementia , vertigo , chorea , balism , transitory global amnesia , psychosis , transversal myelopathy and Guillain-Barre syndrome . About 50 % of strokes below 50 years of age are caused by APS . The first line of therapy in stroke is anticoagulation : intravenous heparin or low -weight heparins . In chronic treatment , oral anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy are used , warfarin and aspirin , mostly for life . In resistant cases , corticosteroids , intravenous immunoglobulins and plasmapheresis are necessary . Prognosis is good in most patients but some are treatment-resistant with recurrent thrombotic events and eventually death .

Diseases
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Diseases presenting "eventually death" symptom

sneddon syndrome

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