Diagnosis and clinical symptoms of antiphospholipid syndrome

The diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome is based on clinical symptoms and is verified by laboratory testing. The spectrum of clinical symptoms includes not only arterial or venous thrombosis, a variety of neurological manifestations as well as pregnancy associated complications have been defined as relevant for the diagnosis. This article discusses the complexity of laboratory testing, problems of its standardisation and interpretation of test results. Progress and limitations of laboratory analysis are compared and the clinician will learn to read lob results with caution.