Laboratory diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease with manifestations of recurrent thromboembolic events, unexplained miscarriage, and thrombocytopenia. Although the presence of one or more types of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) in serum is accepted, the specific pathogenesis of APS is still unknown. In recent years, some newly found mechanisms of APS progression have been elucidated. Meanwhile more attention is paid to exploring other antibodies rather than aPLs. The aim of this review is to summarize some cellular and molecular mechanisms relevant to APS, and to point out several more meaningful indicators for APS diagnosis or thrombosis prediction compared to aPL.