As mentioned previously, Lupus anticoagulant (LA) are found in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and three distinct entities have been identified:
- those with no other auto-immune disorders
- those with other auto-immune disorders
- those that are catastrophic
Target proteins include phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, protein C, protein S, and Annexin V. Lupus anticoagulant are also known to inhibit von Willebrand factor adhesion to platelets. Many patients who present with LA have no bleeding complications but may be prone to thrombosis.
In the laboratory setting, the presence of these auto-antibodies prolong phospholipid-dependent coagulation testing. The name "lupus anticoagulant" was assigned because the phenomenon was first identified in patients diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
