Clinical and Laboratory Criteria for the Diagnosis of APS

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The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Laboratory Evaluation of the Lupus Anticoagulant found in Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS). Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.

Learn more about Laboratory Evaluation of the Lupus Anticoagulant found in Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) (online CE course)
Clinical and Laboratory Criteria for the Diagnosis of APS

For a diagnosis of APS to be made, at least one clinical and one laboratory criteria must be met.
Clinical criteria:
  1. Vascular thrombosis: defined as one or more clinical episodes of arterial, venous, or small-vessel thrombosis in any tissue or organ confirmed by findings from imaging studies, Doppler studies, or histopathology.
  2. Pregnancy morbidity is defined as the following:
    • One or more late-term (>10 weeks gestation) spontaneous abortions
    • One or more premature births of a morphologically healthy neonate at or before 34 weeks gestation because of severe preeclampsia or eclampsia or severe placental insufficiency
    • Three or more unexplained, consecutive, spontaneous abortions before 10 weeks gestation
Laboratory criteria:
  1. Lupus anticoagulant (LA): presents on two occasions at least 12 weeks apart with prolongation of at least one phospholipid-dependent coagulation test.
  2. Anti-cardiolipin antibodies (ACA): IgG/IgM ACA antibodies detected in medium to high titer on at least two occasions at least 12 weeks apart, measured by ELISA testing.
  3. Anti-ß2 GPI: IgG/IgM anti-ß2 GPI detected on at least two occasions at least 12 weeks apart, measured by ELISA testing.