A Case of Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome with Pulmonary Thromboembolism.

Lee, Jae Beom; Sim, Yun Su; Noh, Young Wook; Park, Hye Sung; Tae, Chung Hyun; Lim, So Yeon; Jun, Yoon Hee; Ryu, Yon Ju; Chun, Eun Mi; Lee, Jin Hwa; Chang, Jung Hyun; Moon, Jin Wook

doi:2007.63.1.72

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 63(1); 2007 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2007;63(1):72-77.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2007.63.1.72 Published online July 1, 2007.

A Case of Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome with Pulmonary Thromboembolism.

Jae Beom Lee, Yun Su Sim, Young Wook Noh, Hye Sung Park, Chung Hyun Tae, So Yeon Lim, Yoon Hee Jun, Yon Ju Ryu, Eun Mi Chun, Jin Hwa Lee, Jung Hyun Chang, Jin Wook Moon

Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. greenzone@ewha.ac.kr

Abstract

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) causes recurrent thromboses and morbidity during pregnancy, including fetal loss. This malady is associated with the persistent presence of anticardiolipin antibody or lupus anticoagulant. The pulmonary manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome include pulmonary thromboembolism, pulmonary hypertension, acute respiratory distress syndrome, etc. Pulmonary thromboembolism is often the initial manifestation of antiphospholipid syndrome and a timely diagnosis is critical due to the high mortality rate. We herein report on a 19-year-old man with pulmonary thromboembolism that was caused by primary antiphospholipid syndrome. He presented with blood-tinged sputum, fever and epigastric pain, and his chest computerized tomography showed pulmonary thromboembolism. The other possible causes of pulmonary thromboembolism were excluded and the diagnosis of primary antiphospholipid syndrome was confirmed by the lupus anticoagulant that was present on two occasions six weeks apart. We also discuss the nature and management of antiphospholipid syndrome, along with a brief review of the relevant literatures.

Key Words: Antiphospholipid syndrome, Pulmonary thromboembolism, Thrombosis