Korean J Med.
2009 Aug;77(Suppl 1):S157-S161.
Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome presenting with disseminated intravascular coagulation, cerebral infarction, and acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea. jrkoo@hallym.ac.kr
Abstract
- Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by a combination of arterial or venous thrombosis and recurrent fetal loss accompanied by elevated titers of antiphospholipid antibodies. Catastrophic APS is a small subset of APS, characterized by widespread systemic thrombotic disease with multiorgan failure. The diagnosis of catastrophic APS may be difficult, predominantly due to its frequently atypical presentation. In the present work, we describe a case of a 68-year-old male who presented with cerebral infarction, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The patient was successfully treated with anticoagulants, antibiotics, and steroid therapy. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of this syndrome as a cause of DIC with thrombotic disease because prompt recognition is essential for effective treatment.
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