Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Content provided by National Organization for Rare Disorders

Important

It is possible that the main title of the report Antiphospholipid Syndrome is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Synonyms

• Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome
• APLS
• APS
• Hughes Syndrome

Disorder Subdivisions

• None

General Discussion

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a rare immunological disorder characterized by recurring blood clots. Blood clots can form in any blood vessel of the body. The specific symptoms and severity of APS vary greatly from case to case depending upon the exact location of a blood clot and the organ system affected. APS may occur as an isolated disorder (primary antiphospholipid syndrome) or may occur along with another autoimmune disorder such as systemic lupus erythematosus (secondary antiphospholipid syndrome).



APS is characterized by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in the body. Antibodies are specialized proteins produced by the body’s immune system to fight infections. In individuals with APS, certain antibodies mistakenly attack healthy tissue. This healthy tissue is a certain proteins that bind to phospholipids. Phospholipids are a type of fat molecule that is involved in the proper function of cell membranes and found throughout the body. The reason for these antiphospholipid antibodies attacking the phospholipid proteins and the process by which they cause blood clots is not known.

Resources

American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc.

22100 Gratiot Avenue

Eastpointe, MI 48021-2227

Tel: (586)776-3900

Fax: (586)776-3903

Tel: (800)598-4668

Email: aarda@aarda.org

Internet: http://www.aarda.org/



Lupus Foundation of America, Inc.

2000 L Street NW

Suite 710

Washington, DC 20036

USA

Tel: 2023491155

Fax: 2023491156

Tel: 8005580121

Email: info@lupus.org

Internet: http://www.lupus.org



National Stroke Association

9707 East Easter Lane

Englewood, CO 80112-3747

USA

Tel: 3036499299

Fax: 3036491328

Tel: 8007876537

Email: info@stroke.org

Internet: http://www.stroke.org



Thrombophilia Awareness Project



Email: debsmith@fvleiden.org

Internet: http://www.fvleiden.org



Platelet Disorder Support Association

135 Rollins Ave Suites

Rockville, MD 20852

USA

Tel: 3017706636

Fax: 3017706638

Tel: 8775283538

Email: pdsa@pdsa.org

Internet: http://www.pdsa.org



MUMS (Mothers United for Moral Support, Inc) National Parent-to-Parent Network

150 Custer Court

Green Bay, WI 54301-1243

USA

Tel: 9203365333

Fax: 9203390995

Tel: 8773365333

Email: mums@netnet.net

Internet: http://www.netnet.net/mums/



Antiphospholipid Antibody Support Group

Marvin Nelson

4228 Deer Path Road

Apex, NC 27539-7282

Tel: (919)362-8977

Internet: http://www.egroups.com/group/aplsuk



Autoimmune Information Network, Inc

PO Box 4121

Brick, NJ 08723

Tel: (732)262-0450

Fax: (732)262-0450

Email: autoimmunehelp@aol.com

Internet: http://www.aininc.org



APS Foundation of America, Inc

PO Box 801

624 North 10th Street

Suite 4

La Crosse, WI 54602-0801

Tel: (608)782-2626

Fax: (608)782-6569

Email: apsfa@apsfa.org

Internet: http://www.apsfa.org



National Alliance for Thrombosis and Thrombophilia

120 White Plains Road

Suite 100

Tarrytown, NY 10591

Tel: (914)220-5040

Tel: (877)466-2568

Email: info@stoptheclot.org

Internet: http://stoptheclot.org/index.htm



European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID)

c/o Dr. Esther de Vries

Jeroen Bosch Hospital

Dept. Paediatrics

P.O. Box 90153

Hertogenbosch, 5200 ME's

Netherlands

Tel: +31 73-6992965

Fax: +31 73-6992948

Email: info@esid.org

Internet: http://www.esid.org



Hughes Syndrome Foundation

Louise Coote Lupus Unit

Gassiot House

St. Thomas' Hospital

London, SE1 7EH

England

Tel: 0207-188-8217

Email: hsf@btconnect.com

Internet: http://www.hughes-syndrome.org



AutoImmunity Community



Tel: (919)-55-2-9057

Email: bandrews@autoimmunitycommunity.org

Internet: http://autoimmunitycommunity.org

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.

It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report.

This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.

For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org

Last Updated:  4/13/2007

Copyright  1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2007 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

Last updated:	April 13, 2007