Physicians use a combination of clinical symptoms and laboratory tests to diagnose APS. Common blood tests include several antibody tests and lupus anticoagulant tests.
- Clinical symptoms often include:
- Blood clots in veins, particularly deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Blood clots that go to the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
- Blood clots in arteries
- Miscarriages
- Pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, fetal growth retardation, premature delivery
- Heart attacks
- Strokes
- Brief loss of vision
- Decreased levels of platelets
- Heart valve problems
- Persistent or transient blotchy, lacy bluish rash
- Skin ulcers, most commonly on the legs or feet
Other features that may be associated with antiphospholipid antibodies and help in diagnosis include (APS Foundation of America, Inc.):
- Problems with thinking clearly (loss of concentration, difficulty with reading comprehension and performing calculations, memory loss)
- Neurological problems similar to multiple sclerosis.
- Migraine headaches, sometimes with visual disturbances
- Other neurological symptoms including episodes of partial or total vision loss, dizziness, vertigo, loss of balance, seizures, and other abnormal movements
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