Successful treatment of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome with therapeutic plasma exchange: a case report

Abstract

The catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is an autoimmune disease associated with rapid failure of multiple organs and represents less than 1% of all cases of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Antiphospholipid antibodies are present in approximately 9% of patients with pregnancy losses, 14% with stroke, 11% with myocardial infarction and 10% with deep vein thrombosis.1 The CAPS is considered a rare but devastating variant (30–50% mortality).2, 3 It is diagnosed according to the Asherson criteria that include: an involvement of three or more organs, a rapid progression (simultaneously or in less than one week), a laboratory demonstration of antiphospholipid antibodies and histologic evidence of small vessel occlusion (may involve one or more sites and may be accompanied by vasculitis)...