Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS): investigations

Indications for APS screening

• Unprovoked proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Unprovoked pulmonary embolism
• Ischaemic stroke in young adults under the age of 50 years
• Recurrent pregnancy loss before 10 weeks of gestation

Major antibody tests

Other tests

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain

References

1. Cervera R, Piette JC, Font J, et al. Clinical and immunologic manifestations and patterns of disease expression in a cohort of 1,000 patients. Arthritis Rheum 2002; 46:1019-1027.
2. Keeling D, Mackie I, Moore GW, et al. Guidelines on the investigation and management of antiphospholipid syndrome. Br J Haematol 2012; 157:47-58.
3. Bertolaccini ML, Gomez S, Pareja JF, et al. Antiphospholipid antibody tests: spreading the net. Ann Rheum Dis 2005; 64:1639-1643.
4. Naftali J, Barnea R, Eliahou R, et al. Significance of cerebral microinfarcts in antiphospholipid syndrome: A population-based study. Int J Stroke 2025; 20:186-195. 
5. Naftali J, Keret O, Manor O, et al. Brain atrophy is associated with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with and without vascular pathology. J Neurol Sci 2025; 472:123460.
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Related checklists

• Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS): neurological features
• Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS): systemic features
• Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS)
• Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS): differential diagnosis
• Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS): diagnostic criteria
• Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS): treatment