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Ricard Cervera, Gerard Espinosa, The anti-phospholipid syndrome: 30 years in the forefront (1983–2013), Rheumatology, Volume 52, Issue 8, August 2013, Pages 1347–1348, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/ket151
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Is the GAPSS the better score?
This editorial refers to GAPSS: the Global Antiphospholipid Syndrome Score, by Savino Sciascia et al. on pages 1397–1403.
APS is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the occurrence of venous and arterial thromboses, often multiple, as well as morbidity in pregnancy (abortions, fetal deaths and premature births), in the presence of aPLs, namely LA, aCLs or anti-β2 glycoprotein-I (β2GPI) antibodies. APS may be associated with other autoimmune diseases, mainly SLE, but it can also be found in patients having neither clinical nor laboratory evidence of another definable condition (primary APS). Occasionally it can accompany other diseases, such as infections, drugs or malignancies [1].
In the early 1980s, studies carried out at London’s Hammersmith Hospital by Graham R.V. Hughes and colleagues led to the development of solid-phase immunoassays to detect aCL [2]. They showed a high correlation between the IgG isotype of aCL and thrombosis, as well as a close relationship between these antibodies and the presence of LA. These findings led to the recognition of the so-called anticardiolipin syndrome, which was later correctly termed APS. In the 30 years, since Hughes’s detailed description of this syndrome in 1983 [3], this condition has become one of the most common autoimmune diseases. The clinical impact of the description is important, as many individuals with SLE require anticoagulation rather than the usual steroids or anti-inflammatory treatment.
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