Lupus and anti phospholipid syndrome in pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: the main objective of this review is to make a synthesis of some historical aspects, about the pathogenesis, diagnosis, complications and treatment of the anti ­phospholipids syndrome and systemic lupus erithematosus during pregnancy.

The information was obtained after long searching in MEDLINE database (1996-2004), EMBASE (1990-2004) and at the Cochrane Database of systematic reviews and The Cochrane Central register of controlled trials (CENTRAL), 2000 issue 3 2004), using the key words, systemic lupus erithematosus, ant phospholipids syndrome and pregnancy. Furthermore, manual search was also carried out in the Spanish and Colombian rheumatology journals, among other rheumatology Latin-American journals. (Chilean, Cuban and Mexican) between 1999 and 2004. 84 relevant articles were taken into account, including subject's reviews, clinical practice guides and consensus committees, cases and controls cross over trial diagnostic tests and clinical trials.

The literature reviewed let us understand that the anti phospholipids syndrome is a condition characterized by thrombosis phenomena that during pregnancy is associated to complications and to the expression of medium and high anti phospholipids antibodies titers, one of the causes of fetus or embryo's loss during pregnancy. It may be or not associated to systemic lupus erithematosus and there are some treatment modalities that have been used to try to adapt them to different patients' sub groups.