medical research statistics


 

 Biomedical Research
 

What is antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)?

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), also known as antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and sometimes Hughes syndrome, is a disorder characterized by elevated levels of multiple different antibodies (proteins produced by the body to fight off foreign substances) that are associated with both arterial and venous thrombosis (clots in the arteries and veins).

There are two primary classes of antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies, the antibodies associated with APS. These are called anticardiolipin antibodies and the lupus anticoagulant, and are directed against specific molecules. These aPL antibodies appear to be mainly directed against two particular molecules: beta-2-glycoprotein I (ß2GPI, a normal protein found in the blood whose function is unknown) and another molecule known as prothrombin (a normal blood protein that binds to phospholipids and plays a very important role in blood clotting).

These aPL antibodies were first noted in a group of people who had positive tests for syphilis without signs of infection. It was then noticed that some individuals who continued to have false-positive tests for syphilis went on to develop systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other similar conditions. Later studies found a protein called the lupus anticoagulant in a number of individuals with SLE. A case report in 1956 described an individual with recurrent pregnancy loss, thrombophlebitis (inflammation of a vein related to a blood clot) and lupus anticoagulant. The work of Dr. Graham Hughes and his colleagues in the 1980s provided further understanding of APS, including the introduction of testing for anticardiolipin antibodies.

 

Medical Research

 

 

 

Facts about Animal Research

Understanding Animal Research in Medicine

Medical Discoveries and Animal Research

National Institute of Health's Protocols Animals Research

Animal Research Publications

Patient Studies

Grants for Medical Research

 Health Articles:

Chiropractor
Dentist
Dermatologist
Eye Doctor
Gynecologist
Massage Therapist
Ophthalamologist
Optometrist
Orthopedic Surgeon
Physical Therapist
Plastic Surgeon
Rheumatologist
Skin Doctor
Speech Pathologist
Travel Nurse
Podiatrist
Neurologist
Psychiatrist
Psychologist
Ear Nose and Throat
Infectious Disease
Sexual Health
Drug Rehab


Autoimmune LymphoProliferative (ALPS)
Autosomal Dominant Polycystic
Breast Cancer
Charcot Marie Tooth
Colon Cancer
Cri Du Chat
Cystic Fibrosis
Dercum
Down syndrome
Duane Syndrome
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Leiden Thrombophilia
Hereditary Hemochromatosis
Progeria
Prostate Cancer
Retinitis Pigmentosa
Severe Combined Immunofeficiency
Sickle Cell Disease
Skin Cancer